Inevitability
by sentbyfools
Summary: SEQUEL NOW UP. Buffy runs away to LA. It's only supposed to be a short trip, a getaway to sate her blood lust, but she stumbles upon the hunting grounds of Angelus, renegade of the Aurelius pack and alpha of his own. As the pack alpha and according to pack laws, he can punish her in any way he sees fit. The problem is all he wants is to keep her, and Buffy isn't one to be kept.
1. Inevitability

**Title: **Inevitability

**Author: **sentbyfools

**Summary: **After her father dies, Buffy runs away to LA. It's only supposed to be a short trip, a getaway to sate her blood lust, but she stumbles upon the hunting grounds of Angelus, renegade of the Aurelius pack and alpha of his own. As the pack alpha and according to pack laws, he can punish her in any way he sees fit. The problem is all he wants is to keep her, and Buffy is not one to be kept.

**Warnings: **violence, dub-con, emotional trauma, mostly off-screen character death.

**Rating: **M

**Story Notes: **Alphas are the strongest members of the pack, pureblood werewolves. Betas are turned wolves, and omegas are wolves turned by betas. Omegas can't turn. There are usually very few alphas, as the birth of werewolves is rare. Most children born to werewolves are born without the curse, given the choice to accept the change or live among human society. Heat only comes once a year, and women are usually cordoned off unless they have mates/want to mate. Fudging with the location of the Hyperion so that behind it's a forest, before it are streets.

**Timeline: **She's with them for a month.

**Author's Notes: **So for the past few months, I've been working on this fic for the werewolf big bang challenge on livejournal. It's finally my posting day and I'm excited to share it with you! Thanks to jennamcquaid & legosaurusrex for reading this over and encouraging me, & beautiful_crow for the lovely art for my story (you can find it o-duibuqi on livejournal)

* * *

**I. **

She is seventeen when the blood lust sends her out of Sunnydale all the way to LA. She runs the whole way there, racing across the ground in nearly full view of the humans. She doesn't care if she gets caught, would tear them to pieces if they tried to approach her the way she's feeling.

Her father is dead, and nothing can change that.

The hunt might mellow her pain for a while at least. Sunnydale is too close to the cause of it however, and so she runs until she's in a wooded area somewhere outside of LA's borders. The woods here smell so different to the woods at home, and for the moment she just crouches at the edge of them. She is nearly overcome by the urge to cry, but she shakes her mane and pushes forward. Now that she is here, she might as well do what she came for.

She scents the air, trying to catch the smell of large game. It is the only thing that will sate her blood lust at this point. She is running on pure adrenaline, weary to the bone but unable to still herself.

There is a growl far off in the distance, and Buffy's ears prick at the sound. _Bear_. She turns her snout towards the direction of the sound, sniffs. Most definitely a bear, and probably a fully grown one from the pitch of the growl. If she weren't in wolf form, she would probably grin in satisfaction, but as it is she bares her teeth to the night and races towards the kill.

She stops and howls just a few feet from the bear's location. The action is comforting in a way that the condolences were not; her father taught her how to howl when she was five, and when they'd hunt together, they would howl together ─ one for the kill.

The bear starts to crash through the woods, the dry wood of the forest floor breaking loudly in its heavy pursuit of her. Buffy crouches, preparing to lunge. She sniffs the air again ─ there is another scent on the distance ─ but she doesn't have time to analyze it before she is grappling with the bear.

It is no competition. The bear gets in a few scrapes along her stomach and her side, but Buffy is faster. One quick swipe to the bear's throat, and then another to its stomach, and it is choking on its own blood, its stomach spilling out onto the ground where it falls. Buffy tears into it, ravenous, and it is only after she has had her fill that she notices she is not alone.

There is another wolf staring at her, a beta with dark brown fur that blends into the trees behind it and Buffy flinches, but stands her ground, growl low in her throat. Even a fully grown beta can't defeat her. She is an alpha, and few are stronger than her.

They stay like that for a moment, growling at each other but neither approaching the other.

The moment passes, and Buffy finds herself jumping out of the way as the wolf pounces at her. He tries again, this time hitting her side and sending her reeling. She is faster though. She regains her ground before he does, and she swipes at his unprotected belly growling at him as he howls his pain.

She moves to kill the beta, the blood lust urging her onwards. She only has time for a flash of _something's coming_ before she gets hit from the side. The pain makes her lose her breath, and she nearly blacks out, somehow managing to stay conscious.

She catches sight of a black coat shining in the light, yellow eyes staring her down. Buffy adjusts her stance preparing for the ─ she sniffs the air ─ _alpha's_ next attack. She is scared now. The beta may have been easy, but this is a fully grown alpha. Buffy is only so strong, and she is tired, the exhaustion and the pain working together to wear her down.

He pounces again, and once again she can't avoid it. This time, there is no chance for recovery. She is hit with a heavy paw, and she blacks out.

When Buffy awakens, she doesn't know how much time has passed or where she is but she knows the bed she is lying in is not her own. The sheets slide against her bruised skin softly; it is silk she figures, and a fine one at that. She immediately prefers the cotton of her sheets at home, and she opens her eyes, sitting up in the bed.

It is not the smartest of moves. Her body protests as she stretches her limbs and looks around the room. Everything smells so strongly of alpha male that at first she doesn't notice the man lounging in a chair in the corner.

Buffy flinches when she does notice him, wrapping the sheet around herself quickly. _Why hadn't she worn clothes?_ she thinks as she remembers the way the alpha took her down without breaking a sweat. It's impossible to forget, the memory embedded in the ache of her body.

"No need to be so modest. It's not the first time I've seen a woman nude," he says, and Buffy scoffs in disgust. There are two large windows cut into the dark red painted walls of the room. It must have been renovated at some point; she doubts anyone actually makes bedrooms this large. There is a burgundy rug at the foot of the bed to match the walls, but otherwise the beautiful mahogany of the floor is bare.

The room is gorgeous, but Buffy is not here to admire the interior design. She doesn't want to be here at all, and the windows are looking more and more appealing as she looks around the room.

The alpha laughs at her reaction to him, and continues, "Besides, you've been passed out for four hours now. I've had plenty of time to memorize your body."

She places her hands down on the bed, fisting the sheet in her hands angrily. The alpha is handsome in a way that Buffy would find impossibly attractive if he wasn't so disgusting, and if she wasn't so certain that of his plans to punish her for her trespass. It is just her bad luck that she happened upon the hunting grounds of another pack. She hadn't even known there was one in LA. Her father ─ _her father_ had never told her.

"Can I leave?" she says finally, breaking the silence.

He chuckles and runs his fingers through his spiky brown hair. "You tried to kill one of mine."

"He tried to kill me first," she says, snapping at him in frustration. It isn't like she actually thought he'd say _yes, fine you're free to go_ but she doesn't like the accusation that she is the one who started this mess. Although the confirmation that he's the pack alpha is reassuring. At least she knows who their strongest member is now.

"It's the same thing in the end," he says, giving her a look of curiosity.

Buffy stands up at that, wrapping the sheet around her tightly. He has already had enough of a show.

"Watch it, kitten," he says, spreading his hands out across his lap as he smirks at her. "Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."

"My name's not kitten," she snaps at him, taking a step towards him in anger. "And it's not the same thing. Do you really want to start a blood feud here?"

The threat is empty ─ her pack is small, would try to avoid a blood feud at all costs ─ but he doesn't need to know that.

He smiles at her, wider than before and says, "You're not a loner."

She frowns at his response, not sure what he is getting at.

"What pack are you a part of?"

Buffy instinctively knows she shouldn't answer his question, so she keeps silent. After a moment, he stands, walking towards her. He reaches out a hand to touch her, but she smacks it away before he can, and Buffy takes a step back, arm stinging from the force of the blow.

"Don't touch me."

"Do I bother you so much?" he says, voice low.

The look he gives her leaves no room for confusion, and Buffy smells the arousal on him. She is uncomfortable in a way that she has never been. She feels hot all over, can't look straight at him. She has never had this reaction to another werewolf before, and it is terrifying. She needs to leave _now._

"Will you let me go now?" she asks again, careful to keep the pleading tone out of her voice.

He looks thoughtful for a moment, and then he says, "No, I don't think so. You trespassed on my hunting grounds, and I can punish you however I see fit."

He is right; Buffy trespassed on his land, and law dictates that he is free to punish her any way he wants within reason ─ or worse than that if the start of a blood feud between his pack and hers doesn't worry him.

"I haven't quite decided on your punishment just yet," he finishes.

"Really?" she asks with exasperation. She glances at the open window on the east. She won't get far going that way, not in her state, but she is seriously considering the jump.

"Why would you even want to keep me? Just let me go, I promise not to trespass again," she says, before she sprints towards the east. She may just get lucky.

She moves past him quickly, shifting before he can react, and she jumps through the open window. The fall is long, and she lands hard, the pain surging anew in her body. _Really not smart, Buffy_.

She starts running anyway though, pushing through the pain. She doesn't know where she´s going. She looks back to see an old hotel behind her. There is a forest before her, probably the same one she was caught in earlier and she can hear cars in the distance. She races towards the forest instead of towards the sound of cars. She won't be able to shift and blend in with the crowd, and again she curses her stupidity at not wearing clothes.

There is a crash behind her, and Buffy knows the alpha is following right behind her. She has no doubts that if he catches her she won't be able to escape. She is too weak, and he is too strong.

_Damn it._

The sound of growl is loud and close ─ too close. She glances to the side, and he is right there beside her. He shoulders her and just his weight brings her to the ground. She is in so much pain that she shifts fully back to her human form. He follows seconds after, the paw pinning her to ground turning into a soft human hand.

"Let me go," she says, suddenly scared. He is giving her the same look he gave her in the bedroom, and Buffy knows, knows why he wants her ─ and all she wants is to go home, to be safe with her pack.

"Please, let me go," she pleads, struggling in his grasp. It hurts ─ everything hurts.

He changes positions so that his clothed thigh is pressing against hers and simply says, "No."

* * *

"What do you want from me?" she repeats, wrapped up in the sheets of bedspread yet again. She is already sure of his answer, the faint smell of arousal still surrounding him like a cloak of heat.

"I like you," he says simply, rummaging through his closet. She tries not to look. She already knows more than she wanted to about his body; she doesn't need to see it as well. She had turned away when he shifted back, and nudged her towards his hotel.

Buffy hadn't tried to run away again after that. Just walking hurt, and she wasn't keen on waking up nude in his bed again. Not that it hadn't turned out the same anyway. At least, she is certain he was the only one who had seen her that way. They passed a man at the front desk and a girl on the stairs, but Angelus had not stopped to chat. He had marched her up to his room, not shifting back or allowing her to until the door was closed behind them.

"You don't even know me," she says finally, starting to form a plan of escape in her mind. By the amount of shoes by the back door, she knows there have to be at least twenty wolves living here. That would be twenty wolves hunting her if the alpha decided to chase her which, judging by the looks he keeps giving her and his already possessive actions, is likely. At least she only has one alpha to deal with, and she already knows his strengths.

All she has to do is figure out his weaknesses.

"I will," he replies, emerging in front of her dressed and with clothes bundled in his arms.

"Do you want a shower?" he asks, "Before you come down and join us for dinner?"

"I'm not going anywhere with you," she says. At least her blood lust addled self had done something right, feeding on that bear earlier. She isn't hungry at all.

"So you'll choose to starve instead? How…Belle-like of you?" he says, mouth turning up at the corners.

"You wouldn't happen to have a singing lamp and full chorus line of dishes and utensils?" she says, taking the offered clothes. She is going to at least take advantage of that. "I might actually come down for that. As long as you're not there, of course. We have to keep to the story."

"I wouldn't, no, sorry. So there's no chance of you redeeming me then?" he replies, his expression a full smile now.

"Hadn't even considered it," she says, her mind focused elsewhere. Jumping out the window again isn't an option but if he is giving her sort of free reign to move around the house, then at least she might have a chance of getting out through the back door or the large glass double doors she'd seen at the front.

"What are you considering?" he asks, crouching in front of her so that she is forced to meet his gaze.

Buffy wraps the sheets tighter around her as he studies her face. The reality of her situation is starting to sink in now. She is impossibly trapped with no way to contact Giles or anyone else.

"Whether or not you'll allow me to use the phone," she says.

"Why? Do you have family that will be worried about you?" he asks.

There is a calculating glint in his eyes that makes Buffy say, "It's none of your concern."

"If that's how you're going to be, then no, I'm not going to let you."

He stands up, and she follows his movements with her eyes. He turns away from her, and when he turns back around, he is grinning.

"In fact, I think I've decided on your punishment."

"Haven't you already punished me enough?" Buffy says. The bruises on her body throb painfully in response. She is certain that he has cracked one of her ribs. She can feel it healing slowly inside her, the pain of it almost too much to bear. It's a wonder she is even awake right now.

"Not nearly," he says, his expression turning curious. "Don't you know who I am?"

"I don't care."

It's true ─ she doesn't care at all. All she wants is for him to stop looking at her like he is going to jump her at any moment, and to return to the safety of her pack so she can mourn her father in peace.

"Interesting," he says, "What's your name?"

"None of your damn business," she says, grinning despite herself. "It's an old family name."

"You're very lucky that you amuse me. I don't usually let trespassers live this long."

His words frighten her as does the cold expression on his face, but she doesn't show it. It is no use dwelling on the "how did I get myself into this situation?" nor can she give in to that part of her that wants to curl up and cry. Buffy is weakened, but not broken, and she isn't going to let his obvious advantage make her give in. Her mother and father taught her better than that.

"So you're planning to kill me? Get it over with then. I don't have all day."

For a moment he just looks at her, and then he crouches again, placing his hands on her thighs. She can feel the warmth of his hands through the sheets.

"I'm not going to kill you. If I was going to do that, you'd already be dead."

"Well, that's comforting," Buffy says, pushing herself backwards on the bed in an attempt to get away from his touch. She wants to be as far away from him as possible, but when she moves, it only makes him grip her tighter.

"As it should be."

He pauses for a moment, staring at her in a way that she is coming to recognize. She lowers her arms over her chest, although she knows it isn't helping at all. The pain in her side is making her weary. She doesn't know how long she can keep up this conversation.

"Your punishment will be staying with me."

Buffy had a feeling that would be it; he was heading towards that all along, but she had hoped...

She feels the urge to whimper out her dismay, but that is the wolf speaking ─ the human side of her has more control than that.

"I have a few rules," he says. His hands are still on her. She wants to tug away from them, but his grip is unyielding. She has no doubt that he'd push the contact, and they'd only end up in a fight that Buffy's bound to lose.

"Do they start with you not touching me? Oh, wait, that's one of my rules."

She emphasizes her words with a roll of her eyes. All her words do is make him chuckle and slide his hands farther up her thighs.

"When I have a visitor, I usually start with 'Don't speak out of turn,' but I have the feeling that you'll be breaking that rule more often than I have the energy to punish you for doing so."

She takes a deep breath, trying to ignore the sensation of his hands on her thighs, and says, "Aww, does your lack of stamina always make you so−"

His hands tighten on her then, and she gasps from the pain. The wolf inside her whimpers, threatening to come to the surface. What he would do if she shifted now, Buffy doesn't want to find out. She is losing control though. She doesn't know how much more of this she can take.

"So, the first rule," he says, disregarding her comment, "is that you will not run away. I'm going to let this time pass because you weren't aware of my rules, but I won't be as forgiving next time."

She ignores the hard look in his eyes in favour of staring at the window behind him. She can't help the longing she feels. Already she misses her home and her family, and if he thinks she is going to stick around for long, he is delusional.

"The second is that you will respect my people," he continues, relaxing his grip on her thighs. Buffy's grateful for that; she doesn't need any more bruises.

_Anyone that follows you isn't worthy of my respect_, she thinks, but she doesn't say it aloud, wary of what his response might be.

"Yes, sir. Will that be all, sir?" she says cheekily.

He grins at her in response. "If I think of anything more, I'll let you know."

"You still haven't told me your name," he continues. His hands are still on her thighs, and when she looks at him she knows that he isn't going to let her go without a response. She just wants his hands off of her so she says the first thing that comes to mind.

"Anne. My name is Anne."

"Huh." He gives her a considering look. "It doesn't really suit you."

Buffy's of a like mind about the name, but she doesn't tell him that. She pushes at his hands. He moves them at her touch, smiling at her all the while. She isn't sure what worries her more: his penchant for touching her or the way he smiles at her.

He stands up, and says, "Get dressed. I'll be back in a few."

He walks towards the door of his room, and to her credit, she doesn't follow his path with her eyes, careful to keep the fear she feels from showing on her face. She hears his footsteps stop, and she waits for him to speak.

"By the way, _Anne_, you may call me Angelus. Or lover if you're so inclined."

She doesn't say a word as he closes the door behind him. When she hears the lock click in place, she releases the breath she was holding in. She breathes in and out slowly, trying to calm herself and then considers her situation.

She's trapped by an alpha who wants to have sex with her.

She's too bruised and broken to attempt any escape.

Even if she did manage to escape, she'd be sent back because she fled from her punishment.

She considers the third point. That is, only if he, _Angelus_, managed to discover her pack, and only if he even decided to give chase, and only if her pack decided to give her up, which she doubted they would. So point 3 could be amended to:

Possibly start a blood feud

She sighs. At least, she has clothes now, and she glances at the pair of sweatpants and tiny tank-top he gave to her. There is no bra, but at least there is underwear. Though she isn't keen on wearing underwear with unknown origins, she'll take what she can get. And as for the bra situation, in the pile of clothes is a sweatshirt big enough to cover that up.

All in all, she is pretty set for an escape should her body manage to heal up quickly. The stabbing pain in her ribs intensifies at the thought. She groans and looks around the room again. There is another door to her left, and she gets up, the sheet still wrapped around her, and makes her slow way towards it. Buffy turns the handle ─ unlocked ─ and opens it to reveal a bathroom as beautiful as the bedroom. She closes and locks the door behind her and considers pushing something in front of it for extra support. She decides against it, however. If Angelus wanted to get in, he'd get in.

The room is large, the cold marble floor shining beneath her feet. She drops the sheet at her feet and walks over to the large mirror above the sink to get a look at the damage. Buffy grimaces at the sight of the bruises on her skin. Her ribs are an ugly yellow, her arms a light green. She presses her fingers lightly to her ribs and winces. They still hurt so much that she wonders if getting in the shower is a good idea.

There is blood on her arms and dirt in her hair so she decides to risk it. Oddly enough, there is less blood than there should be. Her face should be covered in it from her earlier feeding.

Angelus must've cleaned her while she was sleeping. The thought makes her shudder. He could've done so many things while she was passed out, and she would never know. It is a terrifying thing to consider.

"I just want to go home," she moans to herself.

She walks over to the tub and turns on the hot and cold water. She decides against a shower. Standing is starting to wear on her as it is; standing under the pressure of running water could very well do her in. Although should Angelus decide to break in, she'd be able to get her bearings faster in the shower than in the tub.

Her heart speeds up at the thought of being caught so undefended, but then she thinks about it longer. If he wanted to do something to her, he would already have done it when she was passed out.

Or maybe he wanted her awake.

She shudders and walks over to his cabinet. She grabs a large red towel and pauses when she sees the bottle of Dove body wash. She sniffs the room, and sure enough the scent of another female wolf clings to the room.

_Maybe I'm not the only trespasser he has taken hostage_, she muses. The thought is more comforting than it should be because she has a lingering worry that Angelus wants more than to just have sex with her.

Buffy doesn't want to think about that now, so she takes the bottle and steps into the tub gingerly. The water isn't that high yet, but she needs to rinse out her hair anyway. She does so, and then lets the water out of the tub, not wanting to sit in her dirt. She decides to stay in the tub for as long as possible to help relax her sore muscles. It will improve the healing speed too, making her escape that much closer to being realized.

By the time she gets out of the tub, the water has gone from hot to cold, and Buffy's skin has fully wrinkled. It is easier to get out of the tub than it was to get in. She wraps the large towel around her and lets out the water in the tub before digging through his cabinets for lotion and a tooth brush.

She finds them and gets herself mentally and physically ready for leaving the bathroom. He has been in the bedroom for a while now. She heard the click of the door when she was in the tub. She waited for him to kick her out of the bathroom. When he didn't come in after five minutes, she relaxed and went back to lounging comfortably in the tub.

Now, she is going to have to face him. She can't leave tonight. Her ribs are still healing, and her only viable exit, the bedroom door, isn't an option at all.

So, she's going to have to spend the night with him.

The prospect is terrifying, but she takes a deep breath and calms herself down. She can do this.

She dresses quickly, uncomfortable without the bra even with the sweatshirt on. When she looks at herself in the mirror, she focuses her gaze on the UCLA block lettering on the front. She'd wanted to go there, but UC Sunnydale's looking more appealing. LA isn't safe anymore, not after this.

The knock on the door makes her jump.

"You're around a 32B, right?" Angelus says through the door.

Buffy blushes and is glad he can't see her expression.

"Why?" she asks instead of confirming the truth of his statement.

"You need a bra, don't you? Unless you prefer to go without," he says. She can't see his face, but she can imagine the look on it.

_So not happening_, she thinks, and opens the door. He is grinning at her, but his gaze is focused downwards. She grabs the bra out of his hands, and shuts and locks the bathroom door behind her.

She redresses, putting on the bra this time, and then reemerges from the bathroom.

"I'm tired," she says, because 1. It's true, and 2. She might as well get this over with now.

"The bed's over there," he says. He is lounging in the same armchair he was sitting in when she first saw him, wearing just a pair of boxers. Buffy doesn't focus her gaze on him for long; she doesn't want him to get the impression that she is actually interested in him.

"And where will you be sleeping?"

She looks up from her perusal of the bed ─ he has changed the sheets ─ to see him grinning. "You and I both already know the answer to that."

"Don't touch me," she says. It feels like that's the only thing she's been saying all evening, and it doesn't seem to be helping at all. She crawls into the bed, careful of her healing ribs. She pushes herself to the very edge of the side closest to the now closed window and turns her back to him. It's not the smartest of moves, but if she has to see him, she won't be able to sleep.

"Whatever you say," he says, and then the light goes off in the room. It's silent for a long moment, save for the sound of her breathing, and then his footsteps echo on the floor. The bed creaks as Angelus gets into it. Buffy shifts, for the first time annoyed by her sensitivity to temperature changes. If the worry of him touching her isn't enough to keep her awake, the heat rolling off of him is going to be a perfect distraction.

She stares at the window, longing to be home with her family and tries not to cry from the loss of contact. Her father is dead, and she's all alone, trapped in an unknown place with a man that wants to sleep with her.

Somehow, she falls asleep.

* * *

**II. **

Buffy wakes up, and for a few glorious moments, bathed in glow of the morning sun, she forgets everything.

And then she remembers, and her world goes to hell.

* * *

She wants to take another shower, if only to avoid Angelus for as long as possible. Buffy starts to get out of the bed, but Angelus' hand wraps around her arm and he pulls her back down.

"Let me go," she says, but he ignores her protest and lifts her shirt before she can stop him.

"What -"

"How are your ribs?" he asks, sliding his hands along her stomach gently. It doesn't hurt at all; his hands are warm against her healed skin and his touch is too comfortable. She pulls away, and he releases her.

"They're fine. Do I have to keep telling you not to touch me?" she says. She crawls out of the bed and walks towards the bathroom.

"Probably," he says, sounding half-asleep.

She doesn't doubt that. She heads into the bathroom and closes and locks the door. She freshens herself up, and considers staying in the bathroom for a little while longer, but just as she decides to, Angelus knocks on the door.

"I need to use the bathroom," he says, "Don't make me unlock the door."

"I'm coming out."

She opens the door and steps aside as he enters. While he is in there she tries the bedroom door. It's locked of course, as is the window, and she has no doubt that the rest of the house will be the same. Why he has key locks for the windows and doors, she doesn't want to know. She can't imagine how many people he has probably kidnapped over the years.

_I don't usually let trespassers live this long._

So perhaps not that many. She can't imagine people willingly staying with him, but the memory of the female scent in the bathroom and the clothes in the closet say otherwise.

When he comes out half an hour later, freshly showered and smelling of soap, the first thing she says to him, "Are you planning on locking me in this room for the rest of the day?"

He smiles at her and says, "That wasn't my plan, but if that's what you prefer."

She doesn't respond to that. She isn't sure what she prefers at this point. She's healed and clothed, she could try the window again, see if she can break the lock if he leaves her in here, but that is probably something he's already considered. It might be too much of a risk. Checking out the rest of the house and the size of his pack seems like a good idea, but she doesn't want to necessarily start making nice with Angelus' pack.

The latter seems like a better option though, so she says, "No. It's not."

He smiles wider, and says, "Good. Breakfast should be ready. I can smell it now. I hope you like bacon."

Buffy breathes deeply, pushing back the start of erratic breathing. That he can still retain his sense of supernatural smell in his human form is more than worrisome. She can smell food, but not enough to differentiate it. That he can is a clearer sign of his strength than even his attack on her last night.

She shivers and follows him out the unlocked door. He keeps glancing back at her as they move through the house, and she's distracted enough that she can't place the house's layout in her mind.

Angelus suddenly stops in the middle of the hallway, causing Buffy to nearly run into him. He turns to her, pressing his hands to her arms, and says, "My people aren't as nice as me. You'd do well not to piss them off."

"I'll keep that in mind."

She pulls out of his grasp and takes a step back out of his reach.

"You really don't like me, do you?" he says.

Although it was said as mostly a comment to himself, Buffy responds, "How'd you figure that one out?"

He turns the conversation, says, "You were upset last night. Why?"

She pauses. _Was my pain so obvious?_ she thinks. Or perhaps, more likely, his senses were just very astute.

"I wasn't," she denies.

"Liar," he says. "If I wasn't so sure that you'll tell me of your own volition, I might have to take you back to the bedroom and beat the answer out of you."

He smiles at her coldly. Buffy says, "Try it," with more bravado than she feels as she stares into his dark gaze.

"Don't push me, lover," he says, and she gulps at the look he gives her. _He'll actually do it_.

"My father died," she says. She's surprised at how easy the words come out, the pain tempered by her fear and anger.

Angelus gives her a sympathizing look. "That's unfortunate."

His expression shifts, and then he's grinning lightly at her as he says, "If you're looking for comfort -"

"I won't be looking at you," she says, snarling. She can feel her fangs descending, her nails lengthening. She pushes back the change, tamping down on the angry reaction.

All Angelus does is raise an eyebrow at her. "Come on," he says.

She follows him down the hall and the large center staircase. She looks to the double doors leading outside longingly. She knows that Angelus notices because he chuckles, crooking a finger behind his back at her to follow. She does, following him down another hall until they finally enter a large dining room.

At its center is a big table capable of seating twenty plus people. There are places set at each of the seats, and it confirms Buffy's guess at the number of people in his pack, although only about half of the seats are filled. They're all adults, and Buffy wonders if there are any children in his pack. She couldn't see any child growing up around him, but then again she has only just met Angelus. The rest of his pack could be different, although the possibility is low.

"So this is our little visitor," a dark haired woman at the far right end of table says.

"You mean prisoner," Buffy corrects sharply. She dismisses the girl after that, looking to the food at the center of the table. It's rude, but Buffy's not in the mood for pleasantries.

Except Angelus grabs her by the arm and says, "Play nice."

She glares at him, but the grip of his hand is hard enough to bruise, so she says, "Whatever," without actually meaning it. He grips her tighter, and she has to bite back the gasp that threatens to escape as the bones grind against each other, threatening to break. The skin underneath his hand rubs painfully against his palm.

"Okay," she says and tugs until he lets go. She rubs her arm where he touched her. It is yet another injury to add to her collection.

No one in the pack says a thing in response. When she returns her gaze to them, they're all eating again as if Angelus' and Buffy's exchange never happened.

She can see what the pack is like now. Angelus is _the alpha_, the hard-ruling type whose authority no one is allowed to question. Her father wasn't like that at all, letting anyone voice their concerns with his decisions and taking their thoughts into consideration. For a moment, all Buffy feels is a painful longing for his touch. Angelus presses his hand into the small of her back, leading her towards the table, and all Buffy feels then is a painful desire to slice her claws against his face and tear into his throat with her teeth.

"You're hungry," he says. "Sit down and eat."

He leads her to a seat next to another dark haired girl who smiles at Buffy brightly when she sits down. Buffy doesn't return it, instead reaching across the table to grab the plate of eggs. She needs her energy if she's going to make a run for the exit after this.

"No one ever taught you manners, did they?" Angelus says. The chair scrapes loudly in the silent room as he pulls out the seat next to her and seats himself beside her.

She doesn't respond to his insult, doesn't care enough to. "I would think that you'd sit at the head of the table. Your ego really seems to demand that kind of attention."

"Oh it does," he says, smiling at her when she glances up at him. He slides the plate of bacon over to her, and she takes the offered food without hesitation.

"But I'd prefer to be as close to you as possible," he says. "I'm going to miss your company for the rest of the day. I' m going to spend as much time with you now as I can."

"That's just wonderful," Buffy says. She slides her fork onto her plate, shoveling eggs into her mouth. She's starving, an after effect of the blood lust. She's always hungry afterwards. Xander made fun of her and Faith for it as they were both affected the same way, and she blanches when she realizes she's thinking about them in past tense.

As if she has already resigned to staying here, even as she contemplates her next attempt at escape.

"You're a smart mouth," he says, "I don't know whether it's an effect of bad parenting or bad pack leading −"

"Don't you dare," she says, dropping her fork to close her hands into fists. He nails start to grow again, cutting into the soft skin of her palm. She can barely feel the pain through the haze of anger.

"Oh, I forgot how sensitive you were. Your dad was your pack alpha, wasn't he?"

Buffy realizes she has made a mistake right after he says it because now he knows what her standing in her pack is, what her pack's standing is. They're without a pack alpha now, and he knows it.

Any predator can scent blood in the water, and she is certain Angelus is no different.

"," she says even as he smiles at her like his suspicions have already been confirmed.

"I believe it is," he says, "my little mate."

It's the first time he's said what she's been suspecting all along, and she hears a gasp across the table that she's glad doesn't come from her. As it is, she knows he can hear the sound of heartbeat racing in her chest even though she tries to tamp down on the erratic beating. _It's not going to happen, I won't let it_

"I'm not your _mate_," she says, "And I won't ever be."

His face turns into an ugly mask of rage, and he picks up his knife, wielding the metal tool like he is about to use it on her. She wishes she could feel fear at the sight, but all she feels is anger and disgust so strong that she knows he can read it in her skin.

"You don't have a choice," he says, and then he pushes back out of his seat, standing up.

"Fred," he barks, and the girl next to Buffy jumps. "You and Cordelia take care of Anne while I'm gone."

"O-okay," the girl says. She pushes her hair back out of her face, and Buffy realizes she's sweating. In fact, Angelus' whole pack is sweating; some of them even look sick.

_What the hell?_

_It must be the bond. They're all feeling his anger through the bond, and it's so strong it's making them sick. _She feels fear now as Angelus' footsteps echo out of the room. He really might've used that knife on her_._ She'd never felt anything like that from her dad. He'd always protected them from that, outbursts of emotion. She'd always had a sense of him though, a comfort in the back of her mind, and now there is nothing but emptiness. The fear she is feeling with mixes with a sadness that threatens to overcome her.

"You've got balls," says a bald, handsome black man across next to Fred. Buffy rolls her eyes, the fear giving way now that Angelus is gone.

"You shouldn't make him angry," the tall brunette ─ and that must be Cordelia says to her.

"And why not?" Buffy says, not really expecting an answer.

Cordelia gives her one anyway. "He's a _killer. _You've really never heard of Angelus before, have you? What pack doesn't talk about him?"

Buffy gives her a look of disbelief. She places her elbows on the table, leaning forward and says, "Look, I understand he's your alpha, but strange to say, the earth does not revolve around him. Not everyone gives a shit about some abusive, harassing alpha."

Cordelia raises an eyebrow at her, and says, "Being here upsets you that much?"

"No, of course not. I'm obviously here because I choose to be," Buffy says. She rolls her eyes at Cordelia causing Cordelia to sigh airily.

"Angelus' never expressed interest in a mate before. Obviously you've done something to provoke him," she says.

"And when you figure out what that is, let me know so I can _never_ do it again," Buffy replies, and then turns back to her food.

"Anne," the girl next to her says, and for a moment, Buffy forgets who she's supposed to be. When the girl repeats the name, Buffy turns to her, and snaps, "What?" but there isn't much heat to it.

"We haven't actually been introduced," she says in a sweet, Texan accent. Obviously not from LA.

"I'm Fred," she says, "And that's Charles."

She points at the man next to her.

"I prefer Gunn," he says, and his smile is not quite kind but not quite cruel either.

Fred smiles at him lovingly − obviously together − and then points to the girl across the table, confirming Buffy's guess when she says, "And that's Cordelia."

She goes through the rest of the table, but Buffy has never been very good with names so the rest of the introductions blend together. The others don't seem very keen on knowing her either though, so Angelus can't mistake it for rudeness.

Buffy finishes the rest of her breakfast in silence, and just as Fred is leading her towards the kitchen so she can clean off her plate, Gunn's phone rings.

"It's for Anne," he says, "Angelus wants you."

She doesn't sigh, but it is a near thing. She'd quickly gotten used to the idea of not seeing him for the rest of day, but obviously he hadn't done the same.

"Lead me to him," she says, mentally preparing herself for the meeting.

"Follow me," he says, and he leads her back down the hall in silence until they reach the lobby. He points her to the room right behind the front desk, and then waits until she walks in. _Not a prisoner, my ass_ she thinks as he watches her like a hawk.

When she steps inside, the door shuts behind her. She turns surprised to see Angelus leaning against it.

"Did you want something?" she says, uncomfortably aware of how afraid she feels. He is giving her that predatory look again, and the room temperature is slowly rising - or maybe it is just her.

"Yeah," he says, and then he is on her. He grabs her and pushes her against the door, and she's been in this position way too many times already, pinned down by Angelus.

"Stop," she says, trying to wriggle out of his grip. His weight is crushing her, and she can feel the shift starting from her panic.

"You really need to learn how to control that better," he says, lifting her now clawed hand in his own. The threat in his tone gives her the push she needs to stop the shift from proceeding farther. The look in his eyes, so dark and cold, enables her to turn herself fully back into a human.

He gifts her with a lopsided smile when she does, and she doesn't want to look at him so she looks over his shoulder into the neat office. There is no window, but there are three rows of bookshelves and a desk situated in between them. She wonders briefly what he does, but she can't reconcile any normal job with him and he is pressing her harder.

"Stop," she repeats.

"We're going running tonight. Would you like to join us, Anne?" he asks, stepping away from her.

The change in his mood surprises her as does his actually responding to her request. She wants so badly to say yes; running always helps her clear her mind, and she needs that right now. However, she doesn't trust him at all, and she knows he doesn't trust her. Running with him is probably a bad idea.

But she wants to.

"If I say no?"

"I leave you locked in my bedroom to amuse yourself for the evening," he replies. He stretches, and she watches him, her eyes following the lines of his torso. She closes her eyes, breathing deeply.

The prospect of spending the evening by herself, trapped inside, is worse than the prospect of what running with him might be like.

"Yes, I want to go," she says.

"Good. Make sure you wear clothes this time when you shift unless you're keen on everyone seeing you in the nude."

The threat in his voice says that the latter part of his statement isn't applicable to her. It doesn't really matter to Buffy. She isn't planning on running out in the nude this time. If she gets a chance to make a break for the street, she is going to take it, and she'll need clothes to make that escape work.

"I don't have any besides this," she says, indicating the sweats she is wearing. They are big on her, his size, and although they're comfortable, she wants to change into something more her style.

"Ask Fred," he says, "She's your size."

"Oh, so are you actually going to let me go for longer than twenty minutes this time?" she asks. The question is completely serious. She doesn't know if she can take another encounter like that today.

"Although I greatly enjoy your company, I have things to do, _Anne_," Angelus replies with a curious emphasis on her name. Buffy doesn't put much thought into it though, and chalks it up to Angelus' weird tendencies.

"Great. Where's Fred?"

He gives her a look, and then he sighs and picks up his phone, sending a quick message. A moment later, Fred appears at the door.

"Yes?" she says.

"Take Anne and find her something to wear," he says dismissively.

Fred smiles brightly and says, "Of course."

Buffy holds the mocking words that threaten to spill out, and smiles at Fred just as brightly as Fred's smiling at her. They leave the office together, and make their way back up the large stairs. Buffy considers making a run for the front door again, but there are two men standing there, guarding the way. Buffy doesn't say anything because she knows what'll come out.

She can do this, she repeats to herself. She can keep her mouth shut.

"Why are you a part of his pack? Why haven't you left? You can you know, leave?"

Or maybe not.

"Left?" Fred asks sounding confused, "Why would I ever leave?"

"Because ─ you're not like him," Buffy says, and even though she has only known Fred for less than half-an-hour, she knows that it is true. She isn't like Angelus at all. Angelus is cold and cruel, Fred is..._warm_. She reminds Buffy of Willow in that way.

"He saved me," Fred says, "He saved my life. I would _never_ leave him."

The sharpness in Fred's tone shuts Buffy up. _So, there's no room for argument there._

"Come on, let's get you something to wear," Fred says, and Buffy nods, agreeing.

* * *

_She smells delicious _is the first thought Angelus has about Buffy Summers. Jonathon must smell it too. Or probably not. The kid's a weakling, and Angelus still regrets the pity that caused him to turn the boy instead of killing him like he should have. The female defeats him so easily, it is a shame on Angelus' pack but one they're rid of quickly when Angelus captures the girl.

At first, the plan is to let her go. Angelus isn't cruel, sometimes, and he is in a particularly generous mood because of Jonathon's near death. Then he realizes though what the smell surrounding her is ─ _heat ─ _and the plan changes to fucking her and then releasing her. It isn't until she senses his arousal and jumps out the window, with a fearlessness that Angelus admires and a recklessness that he hasn't seen in anyone but himself, that the plan changes to him keeping her.

It isn't an intentional amendment. He catches her and even then after she has begged him to let her go already, a look of fear in her eyes that Angelus has seen on many people before, she still keeps fighting him with every word and look. It is enticing, unlike anything has been in years, and he knows that keeping her will be a battle more interesting than any he can come up with. She'll lose eventually but he can have fun with her while she holds out.

When she tells him the lie about her name and refuses to tell her his pack, he knows exactly why she keeps it from him. She fears being mated to him more than she actually fears him. He isn't planning on mating her but he leaves her with that belief in her mind and then lets his pack think as much when he relays his capture of her to them. He knows how to start a fire in her now, and he is going to use it. He wants to see how she'll react to that.

_It's sure to be spectacular,_ he thinks as he sits leans back in office chair after Buffy's reluctant acceptance to going running with his pack. The more he thinks about it though, the less the idea of actually having her as his mate bothers him. He isn't one for introspection because down that road leads to some particularly dark answers for some of his particularly dark habits, but he is certain it says a lot about his psyche that the first girl to really get him going since Darla is someone with just as much fight his himself. He rolls his shoulders back and massages the crick in his neck, and then he punches in Wes' number on his phone.

"Wes, stop researching," he says when the line is picked up. "She's part of the Slayer clan."

All the signs have been pointing towards it since the beginning ─ her lack of self preservation and her lack of knowledge about him ─ but it hadn't truly clicked until she'd revealed that she was without a pack alpha. He'd heard about it the day it happened; news in the werewolf society travels fairly fast especially news like this. Hank Summers, alpha of the Slayer clan, dead of a hunter's bullet. Daughters Buffy and Dawn Summers left fatherless, wife Joyce Summers left a widow. Angelus hadn't really deemed it important. The Summers are tiny, not a pack to really worry about and their pack alpha made it clear when Angelus was nothing but a weak alpha at the Master's side that his pack would have nothing to do with the politics of his world, or him. Now they're the most interesting pack in the world.

"The Slayer ─ are you sure?"

He sees the look in Buffy's eyes when he'd raised the knife at her, defiant and afraid at the same time, and says, "I'm absolutely positive. Now find out all you can on Buffy Summers."

* * *

Buffy meets Angelus at the back door of the hotel. She and Fred spent the rest of the day finding her clothes that would fit and discussing nothing but Angelus. It was nice, nicer than anything has been since she came here, but the fact that she is a prisoner never escaped her. Buffy can't help the feeling that Fred sees her as nothing more than Angelus'. How could she see her as anything other than that when she sees herself as nothing more than Angelus' too? Listening to a person so like… Fred worship a person like him makes Buffy sick to her stomach, although the queasiness could also be a symptom of her nervousness as well. She is going to escape tonight, or at least she is going to try.

_Trying doesn't count for much in this situation, does it Buffy?_

So, she is _going_ to escape. Somehow she is going to get by Angelus whole pack and she is going to make it to the streets and make it back home. It is going to be a long shot, and Buffy doesn't have enough hope in her to think that'll it go off without a hitch. She is going to have to fight her way out. At least she's healed from last night. She thanks her werewolf biology for that. Both Willow and Giles had explained it to her once, but she'd never listened. If it works, it works; Buffy has never had an interest in finding out exactly how.

When Buffy sees Angelus, she tries to ignore him, she really does, but his gaze on her is as hard to ignore as the way he sidles up beside her and begins to order people around. He presses up against her in a way that says she shouldn't move.

_Stay away from me,_ she wants to say, but she is going to be nice tonight. The nicer she is, the less he'll suspect her intentions, she hopes.

She tries to pay attention to what is going on around her but she's too nervous about her escape to do more than listen to Fred talk to her about something scientific that Willow would probably be interested in. Suddenly Angelus' hand slides up her side. She tries to pull away but his grip is already tight on her waist.

"Tonight, you'll be with me," he says.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," she says, her words dripping with sarcasm but of course he doesn't take it that way. He grins and pulls her closer to him so that her hip bangs against his thigh.

"Neither would I, lover."

"Ugh." She means the sound to stay in her head, but it slips out unbidden. It makes him chuckle though, and Buffy reconsiders her plan to be nice. Acting like she's been acting towards him all along will probably be less suspicious, although with his mood swings, she's not certain it'll be a better option.

"You're so sweet," he says. "It's endearing."

"Really?" she says and rolls her eyes. He releases her then, and she us thankful for it. His hand was warming her through her clothes in a way that wasn't exactly unappealing. Buffy doesn't know why that it is, and she doesn't want to find out.

"You know where you're supposed to be," he yells over the chattering heads of his pack who've all now arrived in the small back room. "I'll head us off, and then you guys will handle the rest of the run. Don't kill all the animals. I won't be happy if you do."

Fred gets a sick look on her face that Buffy recognizes. _Right about the mood swings_. One moment, he is _flirting _with her, the next he is so angry it makes his pack sick. Buffy is going to be happy to get away from him.

"Fred, you stay with the rest of the pack. You won't be needed for the rest of the night," Angelus says dismissively.

All she does is smile and say, "Of course. See you later, Buffy," in response. This is so strange to Buffy. If her father had talked to anyone like that, they'd have mentioned it in a moment. He wouldn't have gotten away with that. He didn't have to though; her father would never speak to a member of his pack in that way. Buffy gives Angelus a look of undisguised disgust.

"Come on," Angelus says and drags Buffy outside by the arm.

She can walk on her own, but she doesn't say anything in response to the hand on her arm. His grip is already painful, and she doesn't want him to increase the strength of it.

"Shift," he orders her when he releases her arm.

"You first," she spits back childishly.

He grins at her and then a minute later before her is his wolf form from last night. For a moment Buffy sees herself pinned beneath him. She shudders. He barks at her, a command, and she shifts beneath his cold yellow gaze.

The rest of his pack follows suit and then Angelus is nudging in her side. She isn't sure what he wants until he yips at her, _run_. She does, heading off towards the trees. It feels so reminiscent of last night, with him racing behind her, that she almost expects him to jump her at any second. Buffy is following all his commands, but it is still something to expect. He has been making it perfectly clear since last night that there is something off in his head, and Buffy has no idea what could set him off.

The run feels amazing though, and she loses herself in the feeling. Her feet pad against the well trampled ground as she nears the forest. Not even his presence right behind her is enough to make the happiness of feeling of the cool air rushing through her fur lessen. All the tension that she didn't know she had is loosening from her body, and she becomes one with the wolf, forgetting everything except the sensation of the run.

She moves through the trees, jumping over fallen logs and pushing through bushes and plants. It is an easy run. Buffy spots animals as she passes, but she has no interest in feeding off of anything tonight. She ate her fill the night before. All she wants to do is run.

She doesn't notice that Angelus has been nudging her in a certain direction until she hears a howl and some yips that are so far in the distance as to be miles away. She turns her head behind her, and the only one following her is Angelus.

_Could I escape him?_ she asks herself.

He barks at her, a command to keep going, and Buffy turns her head forward again, and thinks, _No_.

Not now at least, not with him so close behind her. She decides to revel in the run until she gets an opportunity to make a sprint back towards the streets. She isn't worn out yet. She'll make it.

She pauses at a large tree, sniffing the air. It smells better here, fresher if anything, and even though Angelus pushes at her flank with his forepaw she doesn't move. After a moment, she lies down in the grass and closes her eyes. She expects to feel Angelus' teeth on her skin, but he just yips at her, and then his form is pressed against her side.

_If he tries something, I'll kill him,_ she thinks, and she means it. She could kill him just like the bear the night before.

She feels him stir beside her and she opens her eyes to see him transformed into a human again. He is staring at her with undisguised interest in his eyes. She shifts back into a human too, quickly coming to a stand.

_This was nice_ is the first thought she has.

He stands beside her and she slowly walks backwards until there is more space between them.

"Thank you," she says reluctantly, "for letting me out." She runs her fingers through her hair and closes her eyes momentarily, just breathing in the scent of the night air.

"As long as you're good, I'll let you do these things, Anne," Angelus replies. She opens her eyes to realize he is closer than before.

"And what does being good entail?"

He approaches her, his objective clear in his movements. He is walking towards her as if he is on the hunt, and she is his prey. His eyes have gone golden around the edges. She can sense the way his skin is heating up, can almost see the arousal rolling off his skin.

He gets within steps of her, and it becomes too much. His feelings are overriding her senses, and she shifts again, taking off. She pulls her ears back against her head in fright when he barks behind her, a warning. She doesn't want him to catch her. She isn't certain of what he'll do to her if he does.

She just needs to be away from him. He isn't going to let that happen however, so after a minute of more running, she stops before a tree, and shifts back. She's breathing heavily from her run, so she doesn't realize her mistake until he's pressed an arm against the tree, around her, blocking any escape. The heat is still rolling off his body in waves. She isn't sure what is going on with her senses, but she wants him closer. That thought scares her more than his closeness, more than even the thought of what he might be planning to do to her.

"Always running away from me. It's as if you like getting caught," he says.

His words break her away from her darker thoughts. She places her hands in front of her as a barrier.

"Not at all. I just don't like being looked at like I'm a piece of meat."

He chuckles and moves closer. She presses her hands against his chest, pushing lightly in warning.

"You never let me answer your question," he says, backing off a little. It isn't enough for Buffy to move away, but it is something at least.

"What ─" In her haste to get away from him, she'd forgotten what they were even talking about. It comes rushing back to her, and she shakes her head at herself. What she was thinking ─ thanking him for giving her the freedom he took away from her. A captive shouldn't have to thank their captor. She blanches, and he gives her a curious look.

_Stockholm Syndrome._

It's the only thing that makes sense. Buffy really wishes she hadn't watched that special on HBO. _Does it even start this early?_ Maybe it is something else ─ something worse.

Maybe he is manipulating her into wanting him. How, she doesn't know, but it would make sense.

"Stay away from me," Buffy says, pushing harder against Angelus' chest. He doesn't budge at all this time. He glances from her hands on his chest to her face. Then he grabs her by the wrists, knocking her off balance enough that he is able to pull her flat against him. She breathes hard, and struggles in his grasp.

"Now that's not being good, Anne," he says, his voice quiet. It is a more serious tone than he has had all night, and Buffy is only momentarily surprised when he pushes her back up against the tree. She closes her eyes and prepares herself mentally for whatever Angelus is about to do by thinking about her escape. Not tonight; he'd be after her in a split second. She doesn't want a fight ─ a clean getaway would be the best. She isn't strong enough to go up against him in a fair fight.

She is either going to find the perfect opportunity or ─ and she swallows hard at the thought ─ give him what he wants. The second part isn't an option for her; just the thought of being his mate makes her sick to her stomach.

She feels the press of his lips against her own, and the initial softness surprises her. He is a good kisser, and she doesn't really notice when he presses her arms around her head, pinning her to the tree. She is too focused on her thoughts of escaping and the distraction of his mouth. When he tries to deepen the kiss, pressing his tongue against her lips, she panics, realizing the dangerous territory she is heading into. She is pinned to a tree and making out with an alpha on the hunt trying to make her his prey.

She lifts her leg up and knees him in the thigh. Angelus pulls away from her, growling. Buffy moves away from the tree before he can back her up against it again.

He gives her an angry look and starts stalking towards her, but they both snap to attention when they hear the crack of branches nearby. Angelus sniffs the air, but Buffy can already tell it is another wolf in his pack. Her hackles rose the moment she sensed him.

Gunn appears from behind a tree look simultaneously sheepish and on guard.

"There's a hunter nearby," he says simply.

Angelus looks from him to Buffy, says, "Watch her," and shifts, taking off running in the direction Gunn came from.

"Are you going to go after him?" Gunn asks, tilting his head at her questioningly.

"Why would I?"

"I thought ─ you really don't like him do you?" he says, studying her carefully.

"No, I don't," she says, the words coming out harsh and biting.

"I don't blame you," he replies, leaning against the tree behind him. "He's not a very nice man. He can be, he just chooses not to."

He pauses before continuing, "He likes you though."

"How do I make him stop doing that?" she asks. She isn't expecting an answer, but Gunn responds anyway.

"He'll lose interest eventually, I think. He always does."

She feels a flare of hope at his response even though Gunn didn't sound that confident in his words. She'll just have to wait until Angelus loses interest in her. She just hopes she won't need to do anything …unsavory to speed it along.

Buffy looks at Gunn who is still studying her, and decides that she likes him. He is the only one so far who's even talked to her like she isn't Angelus' property. Though she still doesn't trust him enough to share her plans for escape; she can't trust anyone in Angelus' pack with that. They're bound by blood, and that kind of bond runs deeper than any sympathetic feelings they might feel towards her.

A sound of gunshots in the distance and a loud whimper that make Buffy's blood run cold. She hasn't yet imagined Angelus' death, and she doesn't wish that kind of death on anyone. She can still remember with clarity the first and only time she was attacked by a hunter. She still has a light scar on her abdomen from where the bullet passed through, a reminder of the damage one silver bullet can cause.

When Gunn shifts and takes off in pursuit of the sound. Buffy shifts as well and runs after him. Angelus has already proven once that he'll punish anyone that disobeys his rules, and Buffy isn't inclined to be the cause of Gunn's punishment. Not for this, at least.

Buffy smells the blood before she sees it, and she chases after the scent, following in Gunn's footsteps. They reach a heavily wooded area. Lying to one side of a rotting tree, one of Angelus' pack members lies. He is in his human form, his hands covering over a bullet wound in his leg. He has nearly passed out, and Gunn runs over to him.

"I need to carry him out," Gunn says when he shifts. His tone is urgent as he continues, "Can you put him over my back?"

Buffy presses her ears back in assent and then shifts herself. The scent of more blood is in the air, but the man is crying now, and she doesn't have time to focus on it now. If the silver stays in too long, it'll kill him.

Gunn is a wolf again by the time she manages to lift the crying man over her shoulder. He pads over to her. Buffy drapes the man across him and makes sure that his arms are wrapped firmly around Gunn's neck before she lets him go.

Gunn barks once at her in thanks and then takes off. Buffy turns her attention to the other smell of blood. It smells like death and she follows the sounds of growls and feeding until she comes across Angelus.

She stops in her tracks, and watches as Angelus, in a full blood frenzy, tears into the hunter's flesh, his teeth and claws rending through bone. The man is barely a man anymore. Although part of her is telling her that this would be the perfect time to run, the vicious way he destroys the man's body keeps Buffy rooted to the spot.

She was already his prey once tonight; she doesn't want to be it again. Especially not after this. The blood frenzy is stronger than the blood lust. It can turn family into foe, and Buffy isn't on friendly enough terms with Angelus to risk eliciting his attention.

Buffy starts to back up and leave him to his kill, but she missteps, tripping over a branch and stumbling. She doesn't fall, but faster than she can blink, Angelus is by her side. He's shifted from a wolf into a man. His shirt is gone, and he's covered in blood from head to torso.

She flinches away from the sight. He reaches his bloody hand out, and strokes it across her cheek, pushing her hair back. Buffy wants to step away, but she remains where she is.

"You look scared," he says softly. His eyes are still yellow around the edges, but they are slowly starting to fade back to brown.

"Just disgusted," she replies. She can't look at the man's body. The kill is too vicious for a human, too undignified. For the first time, she sees Angelus as the killer that Cordelia says he is, and she knows for certain now that he wasn't lying when he said that if he wanted to kill her, he would have done so already.

"Come on; let's head back to the house. I could use a shower, and so could you," he says.

Buffy takes a step back at his words. "I'm not showering with you."

"You know," he says, a look of amusement spreading over his face, "I wasn't even considering that. But now that you mention it─"

"No."

He shakes his head at her. "You'll come around eventually."

Buffy shudders. _That's what I'm worried about._

* * *

**III.**

Six days pass in the same manner. Angelus spends his time harassing her, and Buffy just tries to stay as far away from him as possible, fighting back with her words when she can't avoid him. Her body is becoming too used to his presence already, and her instinct to run, to fight is fading replaced by feelings she can't control. When Angelus is out, she spends her time being watched by Cordelia and Fred and cataloguing everything she sees as possible routes of escape. She isn't much of a planner usually, but she finds things she can work with just in case she runs into certain situations. Buffy is an improviser; she'll figure it out as she goes. She doesn't tell Cordelia and Fred anything that might reveal her identity. They don't press it, talking about celebrities, fashion, and scientific discoveries instead, although the latter is mostly Fred.

"You need new clothes, Anne," Cordelia says suddenly in between a story about this celebrity she ran into. Buffy wasn't paying much attention, but she snaps to at the sound of her fake name, something she has gotten used to doing the past few days.

"Clothes?" Buffy replies stupidly.

"Yes, clothes. Like the things you wear. Except not like them at all. Fred's clothes are all wrong for you, it's time you got some of your own. We're going shopping," Cordelia says.

Buffy calms herself before the excitement can take hold. Being let out in the daytime ─ it would be the perfect chance to run away without them catching her.

"Well, I like shopping," she says, grinning at Cordelia.

"Do you want to go with us Fred?" Buffy asks, turning to the quiet woman.

Fred perks up and says, "Oh no, I hate shopping with─"

She doesn't finish her sentence, looking fearfully between Buffy and Cordelia. Thankfully for her, Cordelia doesn't notice.

"It's okay, Fred. We'll try to find something your style," Cordelia says good-naturedly, and Buffy thinks _it'll be easier this way._

"We'll need to ask Angelus first," Cordelia says, sounding uncertain. She gives Buffy a considering look and then continues, "_You'll_ need to ask Angelus first."

_Of course nothing is ever simple_.

Buffy stands up. "Is he here?"

Fred nods, and says, "In his study. I'll take you there if you want."

"I can go by myself," Buffy says quickly.

Fred and Cordelia share a look, and then Fred says, her tone uneasy, "Angelus wouldn't really like it if we let you walk around alone."

"I understand," Buffy says, and she lets Fred lead her out the room because she has no interest in seeing her punished by Angelus. She is too nice for that, and Buffy wonders again how someone like her could adore a person like Angelus.

_He saved me_, Fred's voice echoes in her head.

The walk to his office is short, and Buffy doesn't bother to knock. She pushes her way in and is unsurprised by Angelus' look of amusement.

"Is something bothering you?" he asks. He's seated at his desk with his feet propped up on the table.

"I want to go shopping. Cordelia says I need new clothes and I agree," Buffy says as nicely as she can. She is sure her tone isn't up to par, but Angelus smiles at her pleasantly.

"It's alright, Buffy. I know how girls feel about shopping. Makes their blood hot, spending other people's money. Besides you're right. You do need some new clothes. Fred's don't suit you. Too conservative," he says.

Buffy flinches at the sound of her name, the rest of his words moving past her like water.

"You know who…" She trails off, staring at him unblinking.

"I knew who you were a week ago. _Buffy Anne Summers, _your pack is worried sick about you. When your pack master, _Giles_ called, I told him if I saw you I'd send you their way."

She doesn't know what to say. She can barely wrap her head around the fact that her family's out there looking for her, and that Angelus has known her identity for past week without saying anything about it. He'd played with her, and she didn't even know it. And now he isn't just toying with her, he is toying with her family as well.

"Such a lovely name," he says, leaning back in his chair, "It really suits you."

"You know my name and now you know my pack, so let me go to them," she pleads.

He laughs, a cruel sound. "How many times do I have to explain to you that you're not going anywhere? This is getting to be a pretty tiresome conversation, _Buffy_."

She flinches at the way he says her name ─ possessive, like he owns her.

Asking "Why do you want to keep me?" again will just produce the same answer, so Buffy tries a different tactic, says, "I'll never feel anything for you besides disgust."

"You don't have to feel anything for me to fuck me," he says bluntly. The words feel like a slap to the face, and Buffy holds in the gasp that threatens to come out. He stands up from his chair and walks over to where she's standing. There isn't anywhere she can run, so Buffy holds her ground, trying to control her panicked breathing.

It isn't working.

"Don't be scared, Buffy. I'll take good care of you."

"I won't let you touch me," she says. They're chest to chest at this point, and Buffy has to crane her neck to look into his cold eyes. He's aroused, and Buffy is disgusted by the way her body reacts. She's too close to her heat.

"And if you do, it'll be rape," she continues, her voice hardening on the word 'rape'. "Perfect grounds for a blood feud." The actuality of the possibility of him forcing her doesn't actually sink in. She can't think of it, has to move past it to the consequences of the action. It's the only thing that keeps the fear at bay.

"It would be, wouldn't it? But lucky for me, I won't have to force you."

He releases her shoulders, and slides a hand into her hair. Angelus leans over her, pressing his lips against her ear.

"You'll come to me," he whispers. He pulls away from her, and heads back towards his desk.

"Now go off with, Cordelia. Have fun shopping, and don't make any sudden moves. Cordy doesn't look like much, but she's a vicious little bitch when you get her riled up."

* * *

The lie about her pack master slips easily off of Angelus' tongue. Her pack is looking for her, is exceptionally worried about her, that part is true. They're just not calling up his pack in their pursuit of her. Angelus knew the lie would get to her though. In Wes' research about her, he'd found that she loved her family more than anything. _How sweet._ She's truly as good as she seems; the thought of making her his, of corrupting her thrills him.

_Maybe I will mate her, _he thinks and goes back to his work.

* * *

Cordelia takes the wheel, and Buffy never wants to get in a car with her again. She drives about as well as Buffy does, which means they barely manage getting to the store without Cordelia killing someone.

"Pedestrians need to learn to respect drivers," Cordelia remarks when she nearly runs over a woman crossing the street.

"Sure," Buffy says in response. She does that a lot with Cordelia, the sarcastic agreement that Cordelia doesn't pick up on. She is too wrapped up in her own world, and Buffy counts that as a plus for her as they get out of the car and head into the store. Buffy looks around quickly. There is a cab parked outside and a payphone not too far from the store entrance.

Her escape could be so simple, but she is not going to count on it.

The store is large and Buffy remembers why she used to love visiting LA so much. She loved the shopping, still does, but she isn't here to do that. Not really.

She considers her escape the whole time she and Cordelia look through the racks of clothes, and she has a good pile of them when Cordelia finally says something worth paying attention to.

"You're attracted to him," Cordelia states in a tone that calls for no argument. She thrusts a gold blouse at Buffy, and says, "Try this on."

Buffy pushes her hands away. "No. Gold is _so_ not my colour, and I'm not attracted to Angelus."

Buffy is waiting until Cordelia decides to try something on. If she is lucky, the cab is still waiting outside when she manages to slip away from Cordelia, but if not she'll just make the "come get me," call to Sunnydale. Either way it is a win-win situation as long as she doesn't get caught.

If she does ─ that is not a situation she is planned for.

"I can smell it on you. Lying isn't good for you Buffy; I read in Vogue that it causes age lines," Cordelia says.

Her smiling expression turns into a mask of worry, and she touches her face so dramatically that Buffy rolls her eyes and says with sarcasm, "I'll keep that in mind."

Either Cordelia doesn't notice her tone, or she doesn't care, but she goes back to flipping through the racks of clothes, travelling away from Buffy. Buffy tries to ignore Cordelia's comment about smelling her attraction on her, but it sticks in her mind. If Cordelia, a beta, can smell her heat on her, then Angelus must've known from the start.

The thought stops her cold. Angelus has been grooming her for mating since the first moment they'd met. And she had been and still is too weak to resist.

She needs to get away from him now. Fuck him, the smug bastard.

_That's exactly what he wants,_ a little voice inside her says.

_Fuck him_, she thinks again despite.

"What about this colour?" Cordelia asks, coming up behind her. She brandishes a red skirt in front of her that Buffy has to admit would look nice on her.

She says so, telling Cordelia, "It's nice. You should go try it on."

"Of course. I hate making returns. It's like the clerks don't even understand that you only know how well something will look on you until you remove the tag."

Buffy nods her head, her thoughts only on her escape. She watches as Cordelia enters the booth and gives the appropriate responses until Cordelia stops speaking.

Buffy moves then, silently and swiftly, picking her way through the clothing racks until she is finally out the store. She doesn't stop to breathe in the fresh air, and heads towards the cab that she is happy to see is still there.

She fingers the credit card in her pocket, and can imagine Cordelia's expression when she realizes it and Buffy are gone.

"You take credit right?" she says when she gets into the cab.

"I'm on my break," the cab driver says, turning to look at her.

"I'll pay extra for you to move right now," she says.

The guy gives her one look and then says, "I'll take the card up front."

She hands him the card, and he starts up the cab. Buffy looks out the back window to see Cordelia erupt out of the shop, but the cab is already moving forward. Cordelia could catch her if she shifted, but it's a Tuesday afternoon. The streets are crowded with people, and she wouldn't risk it. Even to escape, Buffy wouldn't risk that kind of exposure either.

Lucky for her she didn't have to.

"Where to?" the cab driver asks. He sounds exasperated, as if he's asked the question more than once.

"Sunnydale," she says.

"I hope you have good credit," he says, shaking his head.

Buffy smiles, sees the name emblazoned on the credit card ─ _Angelus Roarke_ ─, and says, "The best."

* * *

Her freedom doesn't last long.

She is barely outside city limits when suddenly she _feels_ Angelus. It is only moments before he runs out in front of the taxi, stopping the driver in his tracks.

"What the hell?" she and the driver say simultaneously. She can feel him in her gut, like a not-so-gentle tug at her insides, and it makes her sick. She can't last with him much longer. And ─

He has caught her.

He has caught her, and she is still sitting in the car like some kind of free meal. She thinks of what he might do to her, and then remembers what he did to the hunter and she says, "When I get out of the car, drive. Drive and don't stop, don't look back."

"This looks dangerous," he says, "I better get you somewhere safe."

She blinks, forcing the shift only minimally. It is enough to yellow her eyes, and she looks back at him. He gulps at her, and says, "Alright."

"I'm really sorry about this," she says, and she truly means it.

"It's, ah, okay," he says. He looks terrified, and Buffy takes a deep breath. _Time to leave the car._

She climbs out of the car. The man backs up, making a U-turn, and then disappears back the way he came. Buffy takes another deep breath as she waits. She doesn't have to wait long; Angelus comes up beside her and grabs her by the arm. His grip is tight, a promise of what is to come.

"This is the smartest thing you've done all day," he says. He doesn't sound angry or upset, which is more worrying than if he did.

"Do I have to lead you to the house like a dog, or are you going to come quietly? Choose wisely, Buffy, because I'd love to collar you."

"I wouldn't give you the satisfaction," Buffy spits, finally turning to look at him. He is smiling and not in a nice way. She shivers, but her fear doesn't abate the anger she feels.

"No, I don't think that you would," he says, voice low.

"Come on," he says, and with one wistful look to the she follows.

* * *

"Didn't I tell you not to try and run away?" he says, when they get back to the house. He has brought Buffy to a room in the basement. It's empty save for a table with two chairs.

"I'm not good with orders," she replies, trying to find some clue as to what he is planning on doing to her. So far, it seems like he is just going to talk at her. It could be worse, though at the moment she can't think how.

"Dammit, Buffy. You're just making this harder on yourself. Why must you cause me so many problems?" he says, sounding exasperated.

Buffy rolls her eyes. "Just let me go and you won't have that issue."

"So, what are you going to do now? I'm not a part of your pack, so you have no grounds to punish me. You can call my pack alpha, see what his take on the matter is. I'm sure he'll have some thoughts on what to do," she says. She's underage, so he isn't allowed to physically punish her without word from her pack alpha, and she can tell he knows it to, by the angry look that flashes in his eyes.

His expression shifts just as quickly as it appears, and he replies, "Buffy, I can punish you however I want. You recall that you're the one who trespassed on my property, right?"

"How could I forget? It was the worst mistake of my life."

"That remains to be seen," he says in such a cold tone, that Buffy turns around to look at him. While they've talked, he's managed to put on gloves. The implication of them doesn't sink in until she watches him pick up a pair of heavy chains.

She shudders. _Silver._

"I told you not to run away."

* * *

Angelus doesn't want to use the silver on her. Not really. In fact, he has more creative and more intimate punishments in mind. More interesting ones than watching her hang on the wall for hours.

He just enjoys seeing how far he can push her until she breaks. He wants to know for certain whether physical punishment will get the job done.

If it doesn't, well, he still has other things he can try.

* * *

"I want to hold a tribunal," she says when he comes back to the room to check in on her. The silver chains holding her up on the wall of the empty room have been burning into her skin for hours. She's found her focus though, the memories of her mother helping her to endure the pain.

"A tribunal?" He seats himself in the chair across from her and places his elbows on his knees, his chin on his hands, and studies her with a look of intrigue.

"I want to challenge your authority over me," she says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. To her it is, and she has no doubt that Angelus knew what she wanted the moment the words came out of her mouth. It must've been the panic that kept her from thinking of this before. It is the only explanation for why she didn't remember that she could stand before the council and have them decide her fate. Underage like she is, they'll probably send her home to her family, and she'll no longer have to do deal with Angelus. It is the perfect plan but thinking of it does nothing to change the position she is in now.

_The stretching is the worst_. Her arms are so tired; she is surprised they haven't broken yet. She can feel them cracking, and she has wanted to shift for hours now. It is only the memory of the pain from her hunter attack that keeps her from doing so. As a human, the pain of silver is excruciating; as a wolf, it is unbearable.

"It is your right," he says, his tone conceding. Buffy narrows her eyes. _Too easy._

There is a long pause while he continues to stare at her. Buffy watches as his mouth slowly slides into a grin, all the while focused on the pain in her wrists.

"At least it would be if I cared anything for the rules of your world. There's a reason you're hanging on this wall and not having," he pauses, looking at the watch on his wrist. _6:35, _"dinner with your family."

He stands up, walking over to her, and before she has time to prepare, he yanks on her arm, causing the silver to cut into her skin. She cries out. The silver is under her skin now, the burn worse than before. She bites her lip to keep from making another sound, and she can already taste the blood pooling into her mouth. It is too much. She blinks tears of frustration and pain away. How she'll last any longer, she doesn't know, but the image of him in her position is helping.

He smiles at her cruelly. "I do what I want, Buffy. You need to learn that."

"And if I don't?" she spits at him, watching an image of herself carve into his skin with a silver blade.

He tugs on her other arm, the chains cutting into it as well, and the image shatters, replaced only by pain. Through the haze, she can barely feel it when he pats her on the cheek, but she hears his words loud and clear.

"You and I will have quite a bit of fun, then. I'll see you later, lover."

She can hear him whistle as he disappears up the stairs. When the room is finally silent saved for her heavy breathing, she whimpers, tries to shift her legs to get some feeling back into them. It doesn't help much, but it's enough that she has something to focus on besides the silver in her bloodstream. She can already feel it moving inside her, burning its way through her system.

She coughs, but it does nothing to relieve the blistering sensation under her skin. _He just might end up killing me_, she thinks. Her vision is starting to fade, and she needs to think of something before she passes out. She doesn't want to wake up in his bed again. There is no telling what he might do to her. She knows now that he isn't light on his threats, and that look in his eyes ─ she can't fall asleep now. Especially because she knows he's watching her; someone as twisted as him, there are probably cameras trained on her, recording each cry of pain, her every agonized movement.

Buffy could always just give in, but the thought of doing so makes her nauseous. She can't last much longer though. She doesn't have many options.

She calls out to him, "Angelus!"

He doesn't quite come running, but he is there faster than she expects him to be. He was probably waiting outside for her call. The thought makes her queasy; are all his prisoners that predictable or is it just her?

"If I give in, will you let me call my family?"

He laughs and says, "No, but if you promise to be good, I might reconsider − after awhile."

She isn't sure what he means by that, but she is getting weaker by the moment, so she says, "I'll be good."

He smirks at her, says, "I don't believe you, but you look like death warmed over. I don't want you to die on me now; I have too much planned for us."

Angelus walks over to her and releases her from the chains one at a time. She falls to floor when he removes the final one from her wrist. Her arms are smeared in her own blood, and she looks at them dazedly as she wills herself not to pass out. She can't afford to do that right now.

She doesn't stop him however when he lifts her up and hoists her over his shoulder. Walking isn't an option; her legs are too tired from the exertion of being held up on the wall, her arms sore, cut, and worn-out.

"You should eat more, Buff. You're as light as a feather."

She nods, barely understanding what he is saying. Her sight keeps fading in and out, and she feels nauseous. She is sure Angelus wouldn't appreciate her throwing up on him, but his movements aren't helping her queasiness.

"I'm going to be sick," she says. Angelus sets her down right before she throws up on the carpet. Her vision blurs even more, and the last thing she sees are Wesley's feet.

"Silver poisoning," he says, worry heavy in his voice, and Buffy passes out.

* * *

When Buffy awakens, she is lying in Angelus' bed. He is lounging comfortably in the chair by the bed, shirtless and in his boxers. Buffy stares him down, more out of the inability to move her head without feeling dizzy than any interest in his form.

_I really need to stop doing this,_ she thinks. She is breathing heavily, panting even, and her body aches all over. She is still clothed though which she considers a plus.

"You're awake? Good. I nearly thought I'd killed you there."

Buffy grimaces. "Not quite."

The words are hard to get out, and still it is hard to catch her breath. It must be the silver. The last time she didn't have it in her long enough for it to make her ill. She'd never felt these effects of it before.

"You poisoned me," she says with accusatory eyes.

He shrugs. "You're alive, aren't you?"

"I will throw up in your bed," she replies. The threat isn't light. She feels sick to her stomach.

"And you'll be the one cleaning it up," he says. He stretches his arms over his shoulders, yawning dramatically. "Since you're awake to move over, move over. I need some sleep. Watching to make sure you don't choke on your own vomit in your sleep has been taxing."

"I'm so sorry that the fact that you _poisoned_ me ruined your rest. Remind me to not be chained to a wall with silver chains again," she says. Her wrists haven't fully healed, an effect of the silver poisoning, and they sting as she crawls gingerly from the center of the bed to the end she usually sleeps on. Angelus walks over and, fed up with her slow movements, he picks her up and deposits her on her side of the bed.

The thought nearly makes Buffy throw up. _Her side_. Even her poisoned mind is starting to think of escape as a pointless endeavour.

_Look what happened this time. Maybe next time he will actually kill me._

_Not if I kill him first_.

Even after being chained to the wall, she can still vividly imagine his death. That thought doesn't bother her that much the more she thinks about it. Angelus is like a rabid dog and all rabid dogs need to be put down. Or healed, but Buffy's no more interested in redeeming him than she was when she first came here. She's no Belle; the idea of falling in love with this particular beast doesn't entice her.

He climbs into the bed beside her. Buffy thinks, _I can make it to the bathroom without him having to touch me again._ She crawls out of the bed thankful that he put her on the edge of it.

As she walks over to the bathroom, he says, "Don't be long or I'll think you've passed out and come in to get you."

She turns around to glare at him. She is having double vision like earlier. She really is going to need to make this a quick trip. Standing isn't doing her sick body any favours.

"Ever heard of 'a simple knock will do'?"

"Not in my repertoire," he says with an easy chuckle. He stretches in the bed and covers his forehead with his forearm. Looking at her with hooded eyes, he continues, "Just don't be long."

Buffy disappears into the bathroom after that. She manages to contain her heavy breathing somewhat and the quick face wash helps her a lot. When she is done freshening herself up, she exits. She doesn't feel as nauseous but she is still dizzy. The double vision is worse than before.

She grapples with walking until finally she can't walk anymore. She falls to her knees on the carpeted floor.

"Shit," she hears Angelus say from a direction she can't determine, and then warm hands pick her up and deposit her on the soft mattress. She tries to roll over, but Angelus places a heavy arm between her and her side of the bed, stopping her from doing so. She feels a soft touch on her cheek, fingers sliding across her skin. When her vision clears, it is to see Angelus propped up on his elbow looking down at her with an expression she doesn't have the energy nor the inclination to analyze. He's still stroking her skin. She pulls away from him, but he pulls her back against him until she can feel his erection pressing against the small of her back.

She gasps and says, "I'm so not having sex with you when I can barely see or move."

He releases her. "So you'll have sex with me later? I look forward to that."

She wants to say, _I didn't mean it that way_, but she feels queasy again. She might throw up on his bed if she opens her mouth, and Angelus has already made it clear what he'll do if she does that.

Buffy settles in at her usual spot at the end of the bed facing the window. She thinks, _I'll just have to live with him thinking I want to have sex with him_. It is not an option she would willingly choose, but she has no choice. She really will just have to live with that.

* * *

One of Angelus' pack members is a doctor, and for the next three days, he checks her over to make sure she is healing well. Buffy is certain that the only reason Angelus is always there during these checkups is to make sure things don't happen between her and the doctor. He is possessive and jealous, and isn't that amazing when she's never given him any reason to think that she might want to be his?

_You don't have a choice_ echoes in her mind, and Buffy replies, _I do, and he's not it_.

On the third day, he gives her the all clear. It's also the day when he tries to inject her with an antibiotic. Buffy struggles in his grip and pulls away.

"Don't you dare," she says. She is freaking out but she can't help it. She hates needles almost as much as she hates hospitals.

"Buffy, calm down, it's just a needle," Angelus says. He eyes the doctor for a moment, and then walks over to Buffy.

"I'm not taking any needle so you'll just have to change your mind," she says, her words coming out in a hasty breath.

"It's okay," Angelus says. He places a hand on her shoulder and begins to rub.

For a moment, it feels so nice that Buffy loses her sense of thought. The pinprick of the needle in her arm brings her back though and she gasps, pulling away from both the doctor and Angelus. She jumps up off the table in the medical room, and walks to the corner near the window. They always lock the windows in the rooms she is in.

"How dare you?" she says.

"It's for your own good," Angelus says with a smirk on his lips. How she could lose her thoughts so easily…there is something wrong with her. Something really wrong. All he did was touch her, and she doesn't even _like_ him.

_Am I attracted to him?_

She doesn't shudder too hard at that, so the answer is _probably_. She blames herself. He is wearing her down, and the longer she stays here the worse it gets. She'll just have to leave soon before something bad happens ─ like her actually sleeping with him.

_I wouldn't do that_ she thinks, but the voice in her head sounds as unsure as Buffy feels.

* * *

After three days of being sexually harassed by Angelus day in and day out, she goes back to spending time with Fred and Cordelia. They're joined by Gunn now. It is obvious as to why. Angelus doesn't trust her alone with either of them anymore. It is a smart move. Buffy was considering just knocking them out and making a run for the door. She could do it, but three of them would be much more difficult, and she can't risk being poisoned by Angelus again. She barely survived the last time. Next time she makes an escape attempt, she needs to be certain of its outcome.

Cordelia is as pissed off at her as Buffy expected she would be. She doesn't know exactly what Angelus did to Cordelia as punishment, but the death glare she sends Buffy's way tells her it wasn't anything good. Buffy feels a little guilty. Really, Cordelia isn't that bad ─ vain, but not evil at heart. Not like Angelus. Buffy didn't want her to be punished because of her but that was an inevitability she couldn't avoid.

It doesn't mean Buffy doesn't feel badly about it though.

"I'm sorry," Buffy says to her after they sit in silence for fifteen movies.

"No you're not," Cordelia says. She continues to glare at Buffy.

"I am sorry. Not for escaping, no. I'm sorry Angelus is enough of an asshole to punish you because of me. It's not your fault I don't want to be here," Buffy says.

Cordelia's gaze changes. Though the anger in her eyes is still there, there is an acceptance to it now.

"Angelus isn't the nicest person in the world," she concedes.

"You don't have to tell me," Buffy says, smiling tentatively. "It's not like you're forced to live with him."

Cordelia's expression shifts again, a look of pity and Buffy doesn't want that. She's not to be pitied. Helped maybe, but pity does nothing for her in her situation. Pity can't reunite her with her family.

"Did you end up buying that dress?" Buffy asks, changing topics.

"Of course," she says, "I always bring a back up credit card."

Buffy looks to Fred, who is grinning behind her held up hand, the other wrapped in Gunn's.

"Of course you do," Buffy says, and it is like nothing ever happened.

* * *

Angelus makes her stay with him the whole day on the fifth day after her punishment. The number of days that she has been here without any kind of news of her family or their new pack alpha is worrying her. He tells her that Fred, Gunn, and Cordelia are too busy to watch her.

"It's the night of the full moon," he says, "And they're betas. They can't control themselves."

"You think I can?" Buffy asks.

The smile he gives her is cold. "You better."

Buffy _can _control herself. It took her many years to, but on her sixteenth birthday, she mastered the full moon change. Now she can go out without the blood lust, completely human under the glow of the moonlight.

"Will you let me go out?" she asks.

He grins at her and the slyness in his gaze worries her. "Of course. We're going on a date."

Buffy doesn't gasp, but she wants to. He is giving her easy access to an escape. All she has to do is get up and go to the bathroom and she can be gone before he can catch up to her.

"Now, I know what you're thinking, lover. You think that you can run away and I won't be able to catch you."

He walks over to where she is sitting in his office, pressed up against the one of his bookshelves. He kneels down between her legs even though Buffy tries to stop him before he can. She feels completely uncomfortable and it is not just because she doesn't want him anywhere near her.

No, it is worse, because she doesn't quite mind the fact that he's touching her. It's been going on for days, her body's lack of complete hatred towards him and her inability to resist him.

He is truly grooming her. What frustrates Buffy the most about her situation is that there is nothing she can do about it except escape, something that seems more out of reach every day that passes. Tonight could be the night, but she has already failed once…

She realizes that they've been sitting like this in silence for a while now, and she curses herself. She's doing it again.

"What?" she says, the "Stop touching me," following right after.

He tilts his head and smiles at her. "If you do try to run away, your punishment will be far worse than just a little silver poisoning."

The cold way he says it with the smile still on his face lets her know that he definitely means it.

It doesn't stop her from planning her escape at all.

* * *

Angelus takes her down the empty halls after that. It is eerier now as a human than it was a wolf. She can't even smell the remnants of the inhabitants. The house feels like a graveyard with personal effects strewn everywhere minus the people they belong to.

They reach a room near Angelus'. He opens the door, waving her inside. She walks in carefully, wary of what he might try. He could do anything to her, and he would. She hopes he is not in one of his "molest Buffy" moods. She doesn't want to have to fight him, but she will to protect herself.

Cordelia picked out clothes for her. The action shouldn't anger Buffy as much as it does. Cordelia bought her a whole wardrobe full of clothes. Buffy knows now that Cordelia truly believes that she'll be staying with them for the long haul. Buffy feels betrayed, and no matter how hard she tries she can't shake the feeling.

She doesn't let it make her forget what she's doing though. How can she when Angelus is flipping through the closet looking for an outfit she can wear for their _date_?

"Cordy has great taste," Angelus says as he lingers over a green dress with no back and almost no bottom.

"You should wear this one," he says.

"No way in hell." The reply is quick and comes out as more of a snap than the careful tone she was going for. She doesn't regret it though.

"You are so difficult," he says. He pulls out another, more conservative dress. Buffy rather likes it, but he doesn't need to know that.

"Wear this one."

"No," she replies emphatically. "I'm not dressing for you.

"Will you undress for me then?" he asks. He bites his lip and grins.

She wants to slap him even though she brought the response on herself. She resists the impulse − she doesn't want to get slapped back. She needs all her strength for later tonight.

"Get out," she says, "I'll find something to wear."

"Bossy," he says, but he listens. He makes his way towards the door. "Don't be long, Buffy, or I'll have to come in and get you. You won't like that."

"I'm sure," she replies. She turns her back to him, a clear sign of dismissal. She hears him chuckle behind her and then the door shuts and locks. She wasn't planning on trying to escape now, but she couldn't even if she wanted to. Angelus always takes precautions, but what can he do tonight when they're in a public place? She grins. He is making a terrible decision and Buffy is going to take advantage of that.

She picks up the dress that she eyed earlier. The black mini is not too tight nor is it too revealing. It is perfect for what she plans to do. She is certain he is going to make her wear heels so she looks on the floor of the closet until she finds a pair of wedges. They are much easier to run in than stilettos, and the strapless shoes will be easy to get out of if she has to take them off.

Happy with her choices, she starts to change. _Tonight is the night_, she thinks, grinning gleefully into the full length mirror on the closet door.

She gets ready faster than he obviously thought she would, so she sits and waits for him to get her. When the door finally opens - he doesn't even knock, not like she thought he would anyway - he is wearing a traditional black suit. He looks good, really good. She bites her lip and looks away.

"Come on, Buff. I don't have all day." He beckons her towards him like a dog. She considers not going, but he isn't nice when he doesn't get his way.

"You look nice, lover," he says when she reaches him. He runs his hands down her sides pulling her to him. "Be good tonight, won't you?"

She smiles at him thinly and extricates herself from his arms. "I'll be on my best behavior."

He raises an eyebrow at her. "I'm not sure you know what that means."

She continues to smile at him. "Are you ready or not? And don't touch me."

She pauses and then says, "What do you think you're going to get out of this? I'm not going to magically fall into your arms...let alone fall in love with you? This is pointless, you know."

He gives her a lopsided smile and says, "But oh so fun."

_I'll never understand him,_ she thinks and waits for him to finally step out of her personal space and start moving.

"You run and I will catch you," he says as they walk down the halls.

* * *

Angelus shakes his head as Buffy ignores his warning. He knows that she is planning to run, but that is the point of this whole exercise isn't it? He has a creative punishment in mind for her; one that he is certain will make her give into him more easily than anything he has done already.

Buffy has no idea what is in store for her.

* * *

She doesn't try to run when they get into the car. There is a driver, and Angelus and Buffy sit in the back seat of a fancy car she can't name the maker of. His hand is on the bare part of her thigh and after the first fifteen minutes she gave up on trying to push it away. Now it rests warmly on her skin, making her uncomfortable.

"Buffy, I own this restaurant," he says after long minutes of silence. "You'll have to tell me what you think of it."

Buffy blanches. His ownership of the restaurant means there won't be any help coming her way from any of the staff. He has probably already warned them about her. She curses inside her head and rethinks her plan. Maybe she can use some of the other patrons?

That thought goes out her head the moment they reach the restaurant, and Angelus leads her inside by the hand. The restaurant is totally empty.

_Fuck._

When she looks at his face, he is smiling at her. "I closed it for the night so we could spend some alone time together."

"More alone time with you? Lucky. Me."

"Yes, lucky you," he says. "Where would you like to sit?"

"If I say the seat closest to the exit, will you listen to me?" she says, not really hopeful.

"Not a chance. Choose again," he says.

She can feel the pull of the moon inside her. She is stronger tonight but so is he. What can she do to get away from him?

"The middle. There." she says. She points at the table that she has decided on. It is closest to all points of access. She can decide on her plan when she gets to the table.

"Good choice," he says, and leads her to it. Her hand is still in his own. She has been ignoring the part of her that refuses not to think that it feels nice. She still doesn't understand that. She never had her hormones run rampant like Xander or Faith so she can't understand why they are doing it now. _Maybe I'm a late bloomer?_

The thought makes her laugh.

Angelus' look is more amused than confused. They reach the table and he sits her down across from him. The table is small enough that their legs can touch. She pulls hers back and wraps them around the chair so that they don't. He notices but he doesn't say anything about it.

A terrified looking waiter comes over a menu that Buffy peruses for less than a minute before dropping it down on the table.

"I'll have a beer, thanks. I'm not really hungry."

The waiter's expression increases in its fear as he looks between Buffy and Angelus.

"Buffy," he says. "You are underage."

"That doesn't stop you from molesting me, does it?"

He grins at her, and says to the waiter without looking at him, "She'll have a martini. And I'll take that beer."

She narrows her eyes at him. What he is playing at, she isn't sure. She doesn't actually drink. The last time she had a drink, it didn't go well for her at all; Faith had ended up having to rescue her from a frat house.

She doesn't have Faith here to rescue her this time. She looks around the room while Angelus' head is turned. He is watching the waiter as he pours their drinks at the bar. The waiter's hands are shaky. She doesn't know what Angelus has done to scare him so badly, but it was definitely not anything good. She turns her attention away and focuses on the room. The exit is a no go. There are two men standing before it and not even their waiter outfits can hide what they're really there for: to keep her from leaving. She continues her perusal of the room, and that's when she spots it.

"I'm going to the bathroom," Buffy says.

"No, you're not," Angelus replies quickly. He eyes Buffy darkly.

She isn't going to let that stop her though. "Yes I am. Try to stop me, and I'll scream." It is not the best of plans. Who will help her in a restaurant owned by Angelus? The workers are probably all members of his pack, and the guards at the door definitely won't be springing to her rescue.

_Or maybe not,_ she thinks when Angelus says carefully, "Buffy, don't do this."

She stands up from the table, says, "Already done," and quickly makes her way to the bathroom. She hears Angelus stand up too, but she is already almost to the bathroom. She can go through the window. The bathroom has to have one. That is the plan anyway, but she is not fast enough. When she enters the bathroom, Angelus enters right behind her. She doesn't even have time to try and bolt the door.

"Let me go," she says. She doesn't beg this time, but his answer is still the same.

"No."

The dress she is wearing doesn't leave much room for fighting, so when she throws one good punch at him, hitting him in the stomach, and he hits her back in the face with a force that has her seeing stars, she shifts. She goes for his throat, but he protects it by shifting into a wolf as well. Her lunge has her hitting the door and sliding on all fours across the marble floor.

He barks at her before slamming her back against the wall. It hurts, but not as much as it would if it wasn't the full moon. She slams her body against his and claws at his fur until he gets off of her and then she shoots for the open window high on the wall opposite the door. She's not going to fit as a wolf, but as a human, she can just squeeze through.

As she jumps for the open window, she shifts. She pulls herself up on the ledge quickly and she is halfway through when claws scratch into her back. She hisses in pain and falls. Angelus is on top of her before she can move away. He doesn't transform quickly. He cuts into her skin with his claws and glares at her with yellowed eyes.

His weight is too much for her as a human and she's starting to suffocate when finally he changes back.

"I was really looking forward to this dinner," he says. His tone is chastising, but the anger isn't there. Not yet, at least. "Time for us to go home, Buffy."

He pulls her up by her arm. His grip is unrelenting and she looks wistfully towards the open window as he leads her away.

* * *

**IV. **

He brings her to a small dark room different from the one he chained her up in. _How many of these does he have? _There is a door inside it, but she is not that curious as to where it leads. It probably isn't anywhere good.

_How many people has he brought here?_

She shudders, feeling badly for people she never even knew. No one deserves Angelus' anger or his punishments.

He sits her down forcefully in the one chair in the room. It hurts when he does, but she tries not to make a sound. She is not going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he really hurt her.

"I told you not to try it, didn't I, Buffy?" he says, pacing across the room. He is pissed off; anyone can see that from the tension in his shoulders to the cold fury in his eyes. It would be terrifying if Buffy wasn't certain that he had no _true_ plans to kill her. As it is though, she is not sure that he might not accidentally kill her.

"I never made any promises," she says. Her face hurts from where he hit her, and the long scratch on her back stings with new pain every time she moves in the slightest.

He grins at her evilly. "I know. I'm pissed, but alas, unsurprised. You're starting to get predictable, lover."

"You too," she replies. "Every time I try to leave, you just have to force me back. Can't you see that I have no interest in being here?"

He doesn't say anything for a long time, and Buffy's face is already starting to feel sore when he finally does speak.

"You're a liar," he says.

Buffy's confused. "If we're still talking about the fact that I lied to you about my name, you _really_ need to get over it. It isn't like you didn't find out my real name anyway." She ends her words on a bitter note. She couldn't even keep that from him. His not knowing her identity would've been good protection for her and her pack.

"No, I'm not still talking about _that_."

Now, Buffy's more confused than before. "What ─" She starts to say something, but she never finishes because faster than she can blink, he is across the room. His hands are on her shoulders before she can stop him. He starts stroking them lightly, massaging them with his fingers and it feels _good_. She leans into his touch on reflex, and when she looks up at him, he is smiling.

"See, Buffy, you're a liar."

She can't respond to that, but she does finally force herself to pull away. He has been manipulating her and her body so well that it is becoming more and more difficult to resist him.

"Stop touching me," she says, and there is a begging tone in her voice she can't control. "You ─ you've been ─ stay away from me."

"Oh, if only I could," he sing-songs. A grin passes over his face as he moves away from her and towards the door. "Oh wait, I can. I'll see you in a week, Buffy, if you even last that long."

Confused again, Buffy starts to question him, but the door shuts behind him as he exits. She hears the lock click, and that and her new knowledge is what finally overcome her with terror.

_A week_. He is planning on, _is_ locking her in this room for a week.

She doesn't get up and start banging on the door, ordering him to let her out. No, she doesn't let her fear overcome her. She is not some scared chick out of a horror movie; she is smarter and stronger than them.

She'll play his game, wait it out, and maybe this week without him will do her good. Maybe it'll help taper off some of the effects of his grooming.

She bites her lip, worrying it with her teeth. Everything is coming to a head now. When she first ended up in his bedroom, she really had expected him to try and force her to have sex with him; it certainly seemed like he was capable of doing something like that. But he's grooming her instead and so he must think that she'll just come to him willingly.

Buffy has the sick feeling that he is probably right.

_No, I'm not going to let him be right. Not in this. I can't._

She really can't. It's not that having sex scares her, but the thought of him being her first does. She doesn't know a thing about him save that he lacks any sense of morality and that he is stronger than her.

He'll hurt her. He has already proven that he is more than willing to do so. She will fight him as hard as she can though; that is what she has been doing all along after all.

* * *

After the first day, Buffy thinks she can do this for a week. She found the bathroom ─ the door that earlier she had thought led to another of his torture rooms ─ so her main worry is out of the way, but that is before the light shuts off.

Buffy never thought she'd be afraid of the dark, but this is terrifying. Even when she transforms into a wolf in an attempt to see in the dark, she can still see nothing but absolute darkness. She transforms back into a human, and makes her way into a corner. The room is cold, and Buffy thinks, _Is this how I'm going to die? In a cold dark room with my family and friends not knowing where I am?_

She doesn't want to cry, but she finds herself unable to help it. It is the second time she has cried since she has been here, and suddenly she can't stop. She doesn't let her cries turn into sobs though. Angelus is probably listening in.

That she is aware of that helps her stop the tears eventually. She needs to get over this "woe is me" pity that she is starting to feel. It isn't going to help her at all if she can't stay rational. Letting her emotions overcome her is what got her in this situation; she can't let them keep her in it.

_Is he even planning on feeding her?_ is the thought that pops into her mind after she strengthens her resolve to escape.

_Probably not_ is the answer. So, she is going to starve for a week. She has never handled anything like this before, but Buffy thinks she can. She'll have to.

It's going to weaken her though. She doesn't how she is going to manage with that. It's not like she has a plan for her next attempt at escape. The most she has planned for any of her attempts have been_ when_; for this next one, she is not even certain of that.

She sighs, rubs the last of her tears on her sleeve, presses herself against the wall, and tries to sleep.

* * *

All she can think about is her hunger. Water she has ─ there is a sink in the bathroom ─ but food she does not. She doesn't even notice the darkness, but the hunger...How many days can a human last without food?

How many days can a werewolf?

Questions Buffy will probably be able to answer soon enough.

* * *

The lights come back on. It takes Buffy long moments for her eyes to readjust to the light. For a short moment, she thinks he is going to let her out. It feels like she's been in the room for a week.

She has just enough time to memorize the lines on the door before they go back out again, and she's plunged into the darkness.

* * *

She is hearing things. Maybe they're in her mind or just outside her prison. She can't tell. It sounds like voices just far away enough for her not to hear the conversations but close enough that she knows they're speaking. It drives her mad.

Or maybe it is the hunger. She's so hungry.

* * *

Buffy is starting to miss them. Miss all of them. Her family, her friends, her parents, Cordelia, Fred, Gunn ─

Angelus.

It must be the hunger and the darkness that is making her feel so insane.

* * *

When the lights click on again, Buffy awakens immediately. From her position on the floor, she stands slowly on unused legs. She is expecting the lights to shut back off again as they've done twice since she's been in here, but instead she hears the creak of the door. It opens, revealing a frowning Angelus.

She can't help it; when he walks over to her, she falls into his arms. It isn't because she wants to, but she feels so weak that when he tugs her away from the wall she's leaning on, she can't hold herself up enough not to slide into his embrace.

Angelus flinches at her touch. "Interesting. I hope you've learned your lesson, lover."

"What lesson?" Buffy asks, breathless. Her stomach doesn't have enough food in it to growl any longer, and she is supremely grateful for at least being able to retain some of her dignity.

She tries to step out of his embrace. He lifts her up by her armpits so that she is standing on her own two feet, but he does not let go. She doesn't have the energy to fight him so she just looks up into his frowning face.

"I should've made you spend a week in my bed instead," he says almost to himself.

"Ahahaha. See my laughing face," she says. She finally gathers the energy to pull herself from his arms, but she isn't certain that it is the smartest move she's made. "That was a joke right? I'm not going to willingly go to bed with you."

"You say that now," he says, and that is all the Buffy needs for the anger that she has been keeping at bay to let loose.

"I say that _forever_. Just because you are _fucking grooming me_ does not mean I will ever go to bed with you."

"Dirty mouth ─ it took you long enough to figure that out. Jesus, Buffy, don't they teach you anything at home?" he says. Although he is still frowning, there is a glint in his eyes that says he isn't as upset as he appears.

"Why don't you just let me go?" she asks probably for the hundredth time.

"You keep asking me that...You're going to keep getting the same answer, Buffy." He tsks at her, and then grabs her by the hand. Buffy doesn't pull away. His hand is warm, but not gentle. She's already used up all her reserves pulling herself away from him the first time.

"You're starving," he continues. "Let's go get you something to eat."

Suddenly the thought of food makes her sick and she says, "No."

"Do you want to stay down here? Is that what you want? That can be arranged, but I prefer your company unwilling though it may be."

"I don't want to eat. I think I might be sick," she replies. She can see the images of food in her mind, the images that tormented her during her stay and now they're tormenting her again, although it is in a different way now.

"If you eat too much, you will be. I know a little about what starvation does to the body," he says. He's talking to her like she is a child. She frowns at him, stabbing her nails into his skin. There is a change happening inside her. Her body is preparing for a shift, and she has no control.

"What -" he starts to say. She's a wolf before the words finish coming out of his mouth. He released the hand he was holding as soon as the change started to happen, but still there is a bloody scratch down his palm.

She whines at him plaintively. On the one hand, she knows that as a human, he can't translate the sound. Still, she tries it anyway. Buffy can't take anymore punishment, but Angelus' moods are fickle. She can't tell whether he is going to beat her over this or not.

She whines again when he changes to a wolf before her. He nudges her with his nose and barks, the _What the hell are you doing?_ The sound is easy to translate.

The new whine she lets out says _I can't help it_. The yip in response says he understands, and if Buffy were human, the surprise would be written on her face.

_Fickle moods, alright_, she thinks.

Without warning, he presses his tongue to her muzzle and licks along her face. The touch is unwelcome, but not unpleasant. Buffy pulls away and barks at him to stay away. She can read the laughter in his eyes. He barks again, telling her to follow him and she does. She is in no state to fight him on the issue, and it is not like she wants to stay in the room. She will be happy to put that behind her, happier still to put this whole place and Angelus are far, far behind her.

Her feet pad lightly against the floor and his do as well as they trawl through the halls. No one is there it seems. Buffy neither sees or hears anyone, though their scent clings to the halls and they pass through.

Angelus leads her to the back door. Buffy is confused until he barks at her. _Hunting_.

He really expects her to fight for her food. Why she is surprised by this, she cannot tell.

He yips, a gleeful sound and then runs out the already open door ahead of her. It's night out, and Buffy wonders how much time really passed while she was in that dark room. She's certain that the answer will not be a good one.

Angelus howls loudly and there is a responding one. Two responses. Three. Now Buffy knows where everyone went, and it makes sense why he trusted her to just follow him; everyone is already out to catch her if she didn't. She can't really run far with her starvation weakened body anyway, but the extra precaution is a smart move on his part.

_That's probably why he starved me. To make me easy to catch._

Smart.

She barks at him. She can't catch up to him with his speed. She doesn't want to be punished for that; although it is his fault, she is certain that he would punish her anyway. He'd probably stick her back in the basement. Or worse, his lament about not forcing her into his bed echoing in her head.

He runs back to her and then stays at her pace. Buffy doesn't like that he is being so nice. She'd prefer his anger actually. His kindness makes her wary. He could switch at any moment. At least when he is angry, she knows where she stands.

When they reach the forest, Angelus increases his pace. Buffy can understand why. She can scent the bear as well, and she wants it. She doesn't know how large this forest is. Last time they ran, they didn't go too far in. To have a bear that she didn't scent last time, it must be huge.

_He carried me all that way just to keep me. What am I worth to him?_

_What does he see in me?_

She can't tell and she probably never will.

* * *

Angelus watches the way she walks at such a gingerly pace. It amuses him. She is probably blaming him in her mind, hating him. That doesn't bother him. It doesn't matter how she feels towards him. He will have her.

He is genuinely surprised that it took her so long to figure out that he was grooming her. Either she was barely taught anything about her biology, or more likely she didn't pay attention to it. He can't see his Buffy being interested in that. She is a true California girl, although a lot less so than Cordelia, and more interesting. Cordelia had been fun for a while, but that didn't last.

With Buffy it will last. There is something in her that Cordelia never had, a resolve, a fighting spirit that even his best efforts can't tamp down on. One moment, it seems like she is giving in. The next she is a predator on the offense, fighting him like he isn't the one with the upper hand.

He hasn't met anyone like that before. Even Darla had never fought him like that, and she is still the most vicious woman he has ever met.

He barks at her to keep up, and then continues making his way towards the bear he has been leading her to since he brought her outside. He'd scented it earlier before he had gone to get Buffy. He'd warned his pack away from it. He was saving it special for her. She likes them; he has known that since he found her covered in Jonathon's and the bear's blood, her white fur stained. It was a beautiful sight. He wants to see it again.

When he gets close to it, he barks at her to keep back. She is weakened by her hunger, and although he doesn't mind hurting her himself, he doesn't want anyone else to hurt her. He has a possessive nature, and Buffy belongs to him whether she likes it or not.

He actually prefers her hatred. If she had any attachment to him besides the physical, it might make her boring and he doesn't want that. She is the most interesting thing that has come across his path in years. He does not want to lose that.

The bear goes down easily under him. If he were hunting for himself, the kill would be less than satisfying, but he isn't. He turns back to Buffy and barks at her to come over. She does so without any resistance. When she is beside him, he nestles his nose into her fur, inhaling her scent. She doesn't move, allowing him this. It is something she would never allow him as a human. She probably thinks it doesn't "count" if she is in her wolf form, but it is a win to him. The more she lets him touch her, the more she makes her surrender to him inevitable.

At first she doesn't move towards the food, instead opting to stay near him. He wants her to eat however so he nudges her in the direction of the bear and growls until she does start to eat. He has to stop her halfway through so that she doesn't get sick ─ she has been starving for a week, her stomach is sensitive.

He finishes off the rest, and then with a howl to signal his leave to the rest of his pack, he leads her back to their room.

* * *

After the hunt, he takes her back to the room. She isn't sure what to think of him killing for her. It is an intimate gesture that she wants no part of, but she gave in to her hunger and ate anyway.

It must look like she was giving in to him.

Maybe she was.

She wants to cry again. She doesn't know what to do. She feels so lost. One part of her knows that none of this is going to end well and probably won't end at all; another still yearns and plans for escape. She wants to obey the latter part of her, but it's so hard when it feels like every move she makes just pushes her further into his grasp.

* * *

He hasn't ever touched her in bed despite the fact that he could so easily. _It's probably too easy; he likes it better when I fight him_, she thinks.

Or at least she does until his hands slide along her waist, preventing her from leaving the confines of the bed. She gasps and pulls at his hands.

"It is too early in the morning for you to be fighting me," he mumbles.

"And it's too early in the morning for you to be molesting me. Let me go," she says, suddenly scared. He could do anything to her right now. How she could have thought she was safe in bed with him - how could she have been so stupid?

He sighs dramatically and then lets her go. It is all the encouragement Buffy needs to run to the bathroom and lock the door behind her. She leans against it, falls to her knees shaking and gasping for air.

_I need to get a hold of myself_, she thinks and goes for her - _her_ - wash cloth. After washing her face, she feels much stronger. She can face him without being terrified of his touch. She has been putting up with it while she wasn't in his bed, she can put up with it while she is in his bed. The stakes aren't that much higher. It is just a more comfortable place for him if he ever goes through with the threat that has been hanging over her head since he said, "I like you," and she smelled the arousal on him: him forcing her. _Rape_. He has never gone past molesting her, but that could change at any moment. She always has to be on her guard, now more than ever when she is so close to her heat, and he is so keen on making sure he is the one she spends it with.

She showers and dresses, glad that she left clothes in the bathroom the day before.

When she leaves the bathroom, he is waiting outside the door. To her credit, she does not jump. She moves out of his reach as fast as possible though.

"Stay away from me," she hisses at him.

"For the moment," he says, entering the bathroom, "I am happy to oblige."

He closes the door behind him and for a few brief minutes, she is left all alone. He showers quickly though and when he exits he walks over to where she is standing and contemplating the door. She jumps, not expecting him to be so close when she turns around. She trips and nearly falls to the floor, but he catches her.

After he pulls her near falling form into his arms, he says, "You missed my touch."

"Not nearly," she replies. She doesn't attempt to remove herself from his clutches though. She may not have missed his touch, but her body certainly did, relaxing into his arms as if it isn't Angelus that they are attached to. It is strange being so separated in what she wants. She simultaneously wants to fight back and give in. She isn't sure what would be easier, giving in and betraying herself or fighting him and suffering from her body's craving.

He leans down and she follows his movements until he kisses her thoughts away. He parts her lips with his tongue, deepening it. The kiss goes on for a while until Angelus pulls away from her. There is a grin on his face that tells her she made a bad move. He doesn't say anything about it though, which is unlike him. She doesn't know what he is playing at, but she is grateful for the lack of comment.

"Come on," he says. He allows her to move on her own, letting go of her altogether. "I need to talk to Wes."

She shakes her head. "You can leave me here, I'll amuse myself," she quotes his earlier threat back at him. It is not a threat to her anymore; she isn't choosing between staying in Angelus' room or going out for a run. She would much rather spend time alone than give herself anymore chances to do something stupid.

He gives her a considering look. "No. You don't need to be on your own. You can't be trusted to be here when I get back."

The truth in his statement has her grinning at him, although she wishes he had forgotten about that at least for a moment. "Fine, lead me away, jailer."

"Oh, come on now, Buffy. You're enjoying my company as much as I'm enjoying yours."

"Did your propensity for the delusional come at an early age or do I just bring it out in you?" she says. _Ha, I remember something from that SAT study session - propensity_; the stray thought pops into her head unbidden. She can see Willow's frustrated face as she tried to teach Faith, Xander, and Buffy. It was a complete failure, well, obviously not because Buffy remembers something. Buffy smiles at the memory though it stings her to remember what it seems she has lost.

She can't afford to think like that, even though that is all she has been thinking for the past weeks. _Escape, remember that, brain? I'm going to escape._ She ignores the voice in her head that tries to pull her down with the memory of her three previously failed attempts. She can't give into the hopelessness. That would mean Angelus wins, and that doesn't sit well with her at all.

She follows him down the halls, briefly considering making a run past Angelus and the guards at the front door. What do the people outside think when they see this building? _Probably not as the prison it really is._

"You're so quiet, Buffy," Angelus says. "It's boring."

"Once again, I'm not here for your amusement," she replies unthinking.

"Then why are you here?" he asks, his voice filled with both curiosity and humour.

"Because I made a stupid mistake. And because you're an unstable sociopath."

"Right on both counts. Gee, Buffy, you are very perceptive."

"It's a skill," she replies flippantly. She doesn't want to banter back and forth with him. She has more important things to think about; escape ranks much higher on list of important things than conversing with Angelus.

* * *

Buffy watches him talk politics with Wes for half-an-hour before she stands up from the chair she was lounging in and walks over to them.

"Who are you?" Buffy asks for the first time. Angelus is amused by how long it has taken her to ask. Anyone not from her pack would already know his history, and anyone not Buffy probably would've made it their mission to find out as soon as they met him. Buffy doesn't quite have the mind of a planner. She's a warrior, all instinct, all fight.

"I'm Angelus," he says. "If you want the history lesson, ask Wes."

He dismisses her with the turn of his head, and he knows how much she hates being dismissed. She always has to have the last word.

He waits one moment, two, and then right on schedule, she says, "History lesson? You're not that great."

"You would know, wouldn't you?" He turns back to her and gives her his trademark smirk that he also knows she hates. Riling her up is so easy.

"Fuck. You," she says. She's been cursing a lot more lately, and he knows it is all because of him. It makes him feel warm inside to know he's affecting her so.

"Sweetheart, watch your mouth," he says and then turns and exits the room.

* * *

"I don't care at all about finding out anything about him," she says. It's not exactly the truth, but Wesley reminds her of Giles. He's interested in knowing things, and when the choice comes between finding out about her pack or Angelus' back story, well, there isn't a choice at all.

"Now tell me about my pack," she says.

"Your pack?" he asks, looking confused. "The Summers?"

"I think that's what I said," she says, and she can see that she is scaring him. _Good. Maybe he won't lie to me then._

"Do you want your history or how your pack is doing now?" he asks. The face he makes after he says it tells Buffy that he didn't mean to ask her that.

"How about we start with the latter?"

"I can't ─ " he starts. Buffy grabs him by the arm and pushes him against his desk.

"You can," she replies through gritted teeth.

"Your family is fine," he replies, "Now let me go."

She does so reluctantly. She is getting angry, and she can feel how that anger is affecting her. She concentrates on the wall behind Wesley's head, counting from one to ten slowly in her mind. It helps to force back the shift, and finally she can look at Wesley in the eye without wanting to claw out his throat.

"Have they chosen a new alpha?"

Wesley looks uncomfortable for a moment, and he pauses in his answer, as if he isn't going to answer her at all.

"They did."

Buffy rolls her eyes and says, "Who?"

"You," he simply says and turns away from her.

"Me?" Buffy closes her eyes and tries to process the new information. They chose her as their new alpha. That didn't make any sense unless they though she was coming back. Her family still believes in her.

"You were the only fitting replacement, although Rupert Giles is standing in until you are ready ─ until you go home."

That last part is said on a note of disbelief. That no one here believes that she can escape doesn't bother her anymore. She's going to prove them wrong. All of them.

"Now for the history lesson," she says.

* * *

She is in a room with Cordelia and Gunn when it starts. _It's happening,_ she thinks.

Her heat has come, and she can't stop it. She wishes she were home with her family where they would put her to bed in the cabin outside the house and she'd be safe. There is no safety for her here. Nothing but the promise of ─

"Want me to do your nails after this is over?" Cordelia asks, breaking Buffy from her thoughts.

"After what is over?" she replies, still only half-aware. She can barely focus on Cordelia's response.

"After you and Angelus finally become mates, of course. It's bound to happen soon."

Buffy starts to ask what she means, but Gunn cuts in.

"Anyone can sense a female in heat. You're not going to hold out much longer," Gunn says looking at her. He looks mildly uncomfortable, and Buffy isn't surprised.

She is uncomfortable as well. She doesn't want him or Cordelia anywhere near her right now ─ doesn't want anyone near her except

Angelus.

She feels sick to her stomach and can feel the tears forming behind her eyes.

"I know," she says.

"Do you," he starts to ask, then stops himself, and says, "I'm sorry."

She doesn't want his apologies. She just wants to be home, but that isn't going to happen. She is not going to get the chance until it's too late.

She'll take it though, no matter what.

"You should be alone now. I suggest you return to Angelus' room before he comes looking for you. He's not going to like that I've been near you at all."

"I'm sorry," she says, because despite everything, she doesn't want him to be hurt over her. She isn't worth it. She doesn't even know what Angelus sees in her besides something he can amuse himself with. Or perhaps it's just that she's young and innocent, something he can corrupt with pain. She already knows he enjoys it. It wouldn't surprise her to learn that's the only reason he kept her: to see how much he can inflict, how long she can hold out.

_Sadist bastard._

"What are you sorry for, Buffy?"

Buffy jumps at the sound of his voice, but doesn't turn to look at him. She wants to close her eyes and revel in his scent, but she fights the impulse. Gunn's expression turns into a grimace, and god he _knows_, and Buffy's mortified, but she can't do anything about it.

"Buffy, you didn't answer my question," Angelus says. She can feel him as he moves closer to her, but still she doesn't say a word. She doesn't really trust herself to speak, afraid of what might slip out.

Soon, he is behind her. He presses his hands to her shoulders, his grip strong but not painful. When his hands move to her neck, her breathing starts to get shaky. She feels like she's drowning in his touch, and she pulls away.

She anticipates what he is going to say before he even says it, and says, "I can walk by myself."

"Ah, you're learning," Angelus comments.

Buffy ignores him and turns to Gunn and Cordelia, and says, "Goodbye."

The finality in her tone doesn't strike her as odd, but then, she is certain that she is leaving today, no matter what happens.

By the time morning comes, she'll be free.

* * *

"It's going to happen soon," Angelus says from his seat in the corner of the room.

Buffy does her best to ignore him, but she knows he's right. It's getting harder to think and there is a heat building in her body that despite her best efforts she can't tamp down. All she can do is slow it down, but she has no idea how long she'll be able to do that.

Probably not long enough.

"You might as well get it over with. You'll feel much better. Trust me; I've never had any complaints," he says, but not even the smug tone in his voice is enough to make her turn to him. She doesn't have the energy to argue with him because all she wants is to jump him, and that isn't an option.

Outside it starts to rain.

* * *

"Please, let me go."

She's begging now. Her back is pressed flat against the locked door, and she can't look at him. It's too much for her. She's feeling too much ─ want, need, and this ever present heat that's clouding her vision. She can smell him as if he's standing right beside her, and he smells _so good_ and it's taking all of her strength not to run over to him.

"I'm waiting," he says, his voice breaking the thread of her thoughts.

She swallows, the action causing her to cough. Her throat is dry. She's parched and still so hot.

"Please," she says, "I can't."

Through her haze, she hears footsteps approaching, louder in her ears then they ought to be. She misses it when Angelus crouches down before her, her mind too focused on the sounds of the room. There is the creak of the windows when the wind hits them, the splattering of the rain against the air conditioner. All of it is echoing in her mind, and she stares at Angelus, trying to find some semblance of control.

"You can," he says sharply, but then his voice softens as he presses a cool hand to her cheek. "Don't worry, baby, it'll be over soon."

Buffy starts to cry then because she can't stop herself from leaning forward and pushing him down to the ground. She presses herself into his lap, grinding against him. She can feel the ache of his arousal through their clothing, a heat there to match her own.

"I need," she says through her tears. She's unable to finish the thought because he slides his hands under her shirt, moving them upwards. His hands cool her too hot skin. She sighs, reveling in the sensation.

"Please stop," she says. Her thoughts are clearing up with the touch of his skin on her own.

"Do you really want me to?" He fingers the underwire of her bra, not quite touching the curve of her breasts. His fingers are soft, and she gasps when she realizes she doesn't want him to stop. There is a wetness pooling in between her legs that tells her that it's better if he continues. At least then, this feeling will end.

At least then, she'll have the strength that she needs to leave.

"No," she says, sliding her hands down to the bottom of her shirt. She pulls it up over her head, and then grabs his hands, guiding them to the clasp of her bra.

"This is a switch," he murmurs. Buffy doesn't care what he does anymore as long as he ends this feeling. She looks towards the window briefly, and thinks _I can make it, I can make it._ She just has to get through this first. She gasps as he pulls up her bra, cupping her breasts in his hands.

She doesn't know where to put her hands so she just does what feels right, fisting them in his shirt.

"What should I..."

She trails off, unsure of what she was even going to ask him. He seems to know however because he grins up at her.

"You have a lot to learn about men, kiddo. Luckily for you, I'm a great teacher."

She moans in response, and lets him lead her. He rubs softly along the curve of her breast and then brushes a thumb against her nipple until it hardens in response. Having his hands touch her breasts is a weird sensation, but when his mouth does it ─ _when did he sit up_ ─ she leans into it. He kisses softly around her nipple and then sucks it into his mouth.

Buffy gasps as he does the same to her other side, alternating between the two as he slides his tongue across her skin. It feels amazing. The wetness between her legs is growing, and she grinds her hips against his in an attempt to ease the feeling.

"You really like this, don't you?" Angelus asks with a smirk that normally would have made Buffy angry.

She isn't her normal self though and all the look does is make her want to kiss him. She grabs him by the shoulders until he's sitting up fully beneath her and kisses him hard. He falls into the kiss eagerly. Somehow during it he manages to remove her bra and unfasten her jeans.

She pulls away from him long enough for him to slide off his own shirt and shoes and for her to remove her pants and shoes so that when she seats herself back in his lap, she's only in her underwear and he's only in his pants.

"What do you want, Buffy?"

"You," she says. It's the truth, and there is no point in denying it.

"Good," he says.

He flips them so that she is beneath him and then removes his pants so slowly that Buffy becomes aware of the wet stain in her underwear. She doesn't have enough sense to feel embarrassed. He must notice though when he slowly pulls them off of her.

"You're pretty everywhere," he says.

Buffy blushes and closes her eyes when she notices where his hands are moving. She doesn't want to see him ─ if she does she doesn't know if she'll be able to go through with this even though her body is telling her it's impossible not to do so.

She feels something brush against her, and it's big. She bites her lip suddenly afraid.

"Open your eyes," Angelus says.

For a moment, she can't. When she is able to, he is looking down at her with an amused expression.

"Don't be scared," he says.

"I'm not," she replies quickly. They both know it is a lie.

She whimpers when he presses into her. It isn't much, she knows this, but still it hurts. Even though she's so aroused that his cock slides in easily, there is still that barrier there preventing him from pushing all the way in.

"This is going to hurt," he says, and that's all the warning Buffy gets before Angelus pushes her leg up higher and shoves his hips into hers, driving through her hymen and all the way inside.

The tears start anew, but thankfully, he doesn't move afterwards, instead staring down at her curiously.

"You are beautiful," he says. He leans down and presses a kiss to her forehead. "Perfect."

He moves his head downwards until their lips touch and kisses her softly, almost worshipfully. Buffy sighs into it. After long moments of kissing, his penetration finally stops hurting her. She presses her hips against his tentatively, urging him forward.

That is all the encouragement Angelus needs before he's thrusting into her. He's soft at first, slow, and his thrusts aren't deep at all. Buffy pushes her hips to meet his, wanting more. He grants her unspoken wish, driving into her faster and deeper until he's hits bottom inside her. One hand holds her right leg up against him; the other he slides between their bodies.

"What -" _are you doing?_

_Oh._

The wetness between her body makes it easy for him to slide his fingers along her ─ crap, she learned this in biology, but she can't remember it's name now, can barely remember her own name. He slides his fingers against _something_ that feels amazing and Buffy moves her hand, which has been fisting in the fabric of the carpet, to his side gripping him tightly.

"It's so easy to see what you like. You're so expressive, lover," he says above her as he continues his unrelenting pace.

She whines not because of the feelings, but because that nickname has never been more true. She is his lover now. But not for long.

She is pulled from her thoughts of escape when he thrusts into her again. He brushes against something inside her that feels just as amazing as the fingers stroking between her legs.

"Don't stop," she says, the words coming from a person not her, a person who only wants the feeling to never end. "That ─"

"Really?" he says, and how he can sound so calm, she doesn't know. She can't control herself at all. She blinks up at him with hazy eyes. He's smiling, but his brow is folded in consternation.

"You're better than I expected, lover," he says, finally sounding as uncontrolled as she feels. He thrusts again, brushing against that same spot, and then keeps doing it until Buffy can do nothing but pant.

"Say my name," Angelus says, his voice distant.

"Angelus," she says because there is no reason not to. "Angelus," she repeats, his name becoming a mantra on her lips.

"That's it," he says. The fingers touching her speed up as do his thrusts.

"Oh," she says as the feeling between her legs builds until it's washing all over her whole body. "Please."

"I know," he says, leaning down again so that their lips touch. "I know."

Something in her explodes. That is all she can say to describe it. It starts between her legs and spreads all over her until all she knows is this intense pleasure she has never felt before. She cries out, wrapping her legs around Angelus' thighs and pulling him closer in an attempt to make the feeling continue.

Angelus says her name and then he's fisting his fingers into the carpet next to her.

After a long moment he untangles himself from her and pulls away from her. Buffy lays there, legs spread obscenely until she has the energy to close them. Angelus doesn't say anything to her. He picks her up and carries her to the bed where she fucks ─ that's the only word to describe it ─ him again. The second time though, when he reaches his orgasm, he leans his head into her shoulder, biting into the soft skin there. She gasps as she reaches her orgasm as well, the pain from his canines piercing her skin sending her over the edge.

They both go to sleep after that, and Buffy is the first to wake up. Her heat is over so her senses are clear and she's finally of sound body and mind. She looks over at his sleeping form and thinks she might be sick. She pulls herself together though and climbs out of the bed carefully. She wants to shower and the bite on her shoulder aches painfully, telling her it needs attention, but those things can wait. Everything can wait.

Now she has to run.

Thankfully the window is still open and Buffy runs for it, shifting as she jumps out of it. She runs as fast as she can, willing her tired body to is one long angry howl in the distance, followed by nothing but the padding of Buffy's paws against the ground. She's panting already from weariness and fear. She keeps running however, and she doesn't look back.


	2. Author's Note

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **As this question has been asked multiple times, yes there will be a sequel. I'm not sure when it will be up, but I am writing one. Thank you for your reviews; they make me want to write more!


	3. Sequel - A Slow Burn - Prologue

**Title: **A Slow Burn

**Author: **sentbyfools

**Summary: **Sequel to Inevitability. Buffy thinks she can just put her past behind her, but Angelus isn't ready to give up on her yet. He's a wolf that gets what he wants, and what he wants is Buffy.

**Warnings/Rating: **NC-17. dubcon, references to dubcon, angst, minor character death.

**Notes: **This is just the prologue to show you guys that yes, I am working on the sequel. It should hopefully be up by December, but I'm in school right now so this is all I can give you now. Thank you so much for all your kind reviews on Inevitability; it really means a lot to me to hear what you think.

* * *

She knocks on the door, completely out of breath. Her heart beats wildly in her chest as she waits for the door to open, but she can handle this. Being held captive for a whole month makes things like returning home easy.

Buffy assumes it makes the lying even easier, but she has yet to put that to the test.

Her mother is the one that opens the door, and Buffy cries when she does. They don't speak for a long time, and then her mother steps outside and hugs her tightly.

When they finally move inside, after the happiness comes the anger. The rest of her family join her mother in yelling at her. That they're upset is unsurprising. She is just so happy to be home though. It is comforting just to be around them despite their less than happy moods.

However it isn't until two weeks later when she pees on the stick and waits the five nerve-wracking minutes for the result that she is finally able to truly breathe.

_Negative_.

She throws the stick in the trash, and vows to move on. No one will ever know, and no one will ever have to. She is safe now.

* * *

**I.**

She hunts by the light of the full moon. She is on her own tonight, confident in the safety of the rest of her pack. She doesn't travel too far from them, within howling distance, of course, but she leaves them to themselves. It is nice having a pack of mostly adults that are capable on their own.

The animals know she is on the hunt, and she scents their fear as she races through the forest, her paws beating against the dirt silently. She can feel the movements of the deer in the ground beneath her feet, feel the scurry of the rabbits, raccoons, and squirrels in the hairs of her fur. The urge to howl out her need nearly overcomes her as she senses the bear moving in the West, but sense wins out; she is not going to announce her location just yet. There is a bloodlust inside her that won't be sated until she finds the proper prey, but she takes her time finding it.

She has all the time in the world. There is nowhere they can run that she will not find them.

Her flank brushes against a tree. She knows it is going to smear the white of her coat, dirtying it. She doesn't care; at least, not at the moment. She stops in a clearing in the forest, ears pricking as she listens for the slightest shift in the night. It is almost inaudible but off to the East, she can hear something moving. It is big, and it is moving fast. The scent is familiar but she can't quite place it. Not yet at least.

She growls lightly, playfully. She has found her prey.

She runs, careful to avoid the fallen branches and dry leaves that litter the forest floor. Her size is her advantage; she is lithe, can move silent across terrains that most of her pack cannot.

The thing is moving faster now, and she stops mid-run, listening. It is moving towards her ─ and suddenly she recognizes that scent. _Angelus._

That is when he appears and she stops, unable to move at all. He is standing a few feet from her, pawing at the ground softly and staring at her with yellow eyes. The moonlight peeking through the trees alights him, making his coat of black fur stand out in the forest clearing.

She stares back at him, digging her feet into the ground in preparation for a lunge. Her blood is singing to attack, but there is another emotion running hot in her veins ─ and it is only the full moon lounging in the sky that keeps her from analyzing it further. The blood lust comes with many unwanted side effects, and what she is feeling now is just one of them.

Angelus growls back at her, but there is no bite to it. It is more an invitation, and one she is not going to take.

She moves before he can, hitting him with the fullness of her weight. She may be light for a werewolf, but the momentum of her lunge sends him reeling, sprawling on the floor. She swipes at him with her forepaw, angling her muzzle toward his throat. Before she has the chance to sink her fangs into the softness of his throat, he throws her off him. He pins her to the ground as easily as if she were still the same pup he'd done this to years before. She is not going down without a fight though, and when he moves slightly she shifts beneath him, digging her fangs into the paw pinning her chest down.

He jumps out of teeth range. She rolls off her back, landing lightly on the pads of her paws. She whips her tail around her face, trying to cool down before his next attack.

Instead of attacking, he changes before her, and she shifts back into her human form in surprise, gasping as the bones shrink and reshape themselves under her skin. The shift isn't painful anymore, but seeing him is.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

He smirks at her, rubbing the cut on his arm carelessly, the blood smearing across his skin.

"Nice to see you too, Buffy."

She shifts back into a wolf and takes off running in the opposite direction, not because she is scared but because she has no choice. Her mistake has come back to haunt her, and she needs to stop this train wreck before it moves any further.

She sprints through the brush, not worrying about whether he is following or not. If his plan was to keep her in that forest with him, it's unlikely she'd be running now.

It's a hostile takeover. She knows it the moment she reaches the mansion. Xander is waiting outside, his stance tense, and Willow and Oz are standing in the open doorway of the front of the mansion. The look on Willow's face is enough to make Buffy blanche.

She hauls ass to the side of the house, to their outdoor changing shed where she left her clothes. She changes quickly, and then runs back over to where Xander, Willow, and Oz are still standing. There is the scent of slightly familiar wolves in the area, and Buffy frowns.

"Where's Giles?" she asks, cutting to the source of her worry.

"You met one of Angelus' men, then? Buffy, they're trying to take us over," Willow says, coming forward and grabbing Buffy's arm. Her grip is tight, and Buffy strokes her hand over Willow's in comfort. Buffy doesn't correct her about who she met in the forest; she has never told anyone about what really happened in LA, and she is not planning on starting now.

Although, she has always suspected that Oz guessed a little bit about her experience. He is more perceptive than everyone else in her pack. Her suspicion is only confirmed, when she says, "It'll be okay. Let me handle it," and Oz raises one eyebrow slightly at her words. He doesn't say anything though, and she is grateful for his silence.

"Buffy, what if ─" Willow starts to say, but Faith appears then and says, "He's challenged Giles. Fuck, this is going to turn to shit real fast, isn't it?"

Buffy doesn't say anything in response, but she can't help but agree.

"Where?" she asks simply.

Faith nods and says, "The field outside the woods."

Buffy starts toward the field, followed behind by Faith, Willow, Oz, and Xander. Faith slides up beside her, and says, "They mentioned you by name, B. What's going on?"

Buffy shrugs, doesn't really know what to say. She has spent so long intent on keeping this secret that she hasn't spent any time thinking about what she would say if they found out.

She turns her thoughts back to Giles. He is the most important thing at the moment. Buffy knows he won't win. The only way to stop this is to get Giles to step down and let her take his place instead.

She can defeat Angelus. She is strong enough to do it now, the way she wasn't months before. For a moment, she thinks _it's all my fault, if I had been stronger_...

She sighs, shaking her head. There is no use for wallowing over her regrets at this point. She needs to act.

When she gets to the field, Giles is waiting, surrounded by members of their pack. On the opposite side of the field, Angelus' pack waits. There is no sign of the alpha Were, but Buffy doesn't doubt that he is close. She can feel it in her blood.

Giles looks tired as she approaches him. Tired, but resolute. Buffy walks up to him and says, "Let me stand in for you."

Giles takes off his glasses, and hands them over to her. She takes them without question, knows exactly what he is trying to say with the gesture.

"Giles ─"

"I won't let you do that. Angelus will kill you."

She could say a lot of things to that ─ _that isn't what he's interested in_, _I'd kill him first_ ─ but what she says is, "And what do you think he's going to do to you? Giles, I can't ─ I can't lose you too."

She nearly chokes at the last part because the sentiment hits too close to the truth. She has already lost her mother, her father, and now it looks like she is about to lose everyone that raised her. Buffy knows what kind of violence Angelus can inflict. She knows exactly what he is going to do to Giles, who Buffy could best in a fight when she was only sixteen.

"Buffy," he says, and then stops, sighing.

"You're going to die, and then you're going to leave me all alone. With him."

Giles eyes widen slightly at that, and Buffy doesn't bother to explain away the phrasing. There is no use at this point, she realizes. He's going to find out the truth anyway; she might as well be the one to tell him.

"Giles, remember when my dad passed away and I ─"

_disappeared._ A howl rends the air, cutting Buffy off. She turns in the direction the noise is came from, even though she already knows the source: Angelus announcing his impending victory. She can hear it in the smug pitch of his howl, all self congratulatory. It makes Buffy sick to her stomach, and Buffy grasps Giles hand in her own, squeezing.

Angelus tears into the middle of the field in wolf form. He stops and shifts back and then turns his gaze to where Buffy and Giles are standing. Buffy looks away, unable to meet his eyes.

"I must go, Buffy. Pack law dictates -"

"Screw pack law, Giles. Please, please let me do this," she begs. She blinks away the tears in her eyes.

Giles gives her a sad look and then presses a kiss to her forehead. Slipping his hand from out of Buffy's, he makes his way towards Angelus. Giles steps in to the center where Angelus is waiting. Angelus smiles at him. Buffy recognizes the expression all too well. Angelus is enjoying this, relishing in the fact that he'll probably tear Giles apart.

Buffy wishes again that she'd never left Sunnydale.

_This is all my fault,_ she thinks. _This is all my fault._

She needs to fix this. She needs to stop this somehow. Giles can't win, not against Angelus. But he can't lose either. There is too much at stake - her freedom, everyone's freedom and safety is on the line here.

"Ready?" Angelus asks only loud enough for those close to hear.

Giles nods at him just as Buffy thinks, _No._

They shift. Angelus is the first one to attack. His confidence is clear in his every move. Buffy can't help but think that the feeling is fitting. Giles isn't strong enough for this, not anymore. Only Buffy is strong enough to withstand Angelus' assault. She let her own stupidity, her own fear of leading get in the way of what she should've done when she first returned, and now it has come back to bite her in the ass. She should have prepared for this. She should have done anything but what she did.

Buffy has to dig her heels into the ground to keep from moving forward. Giles is holding his own, but Buffy knows that won't last. Even Giles has to know that. From where she is standing, Buffy can see some of her former captors looking bored. They're just waiting for Angelus' victory. A wave of nausea passes through her. She doesn't dare look at her own pack's faces. The gasps and the furious whispers are alone hard enough to bear.

Giles gets the full brunt of Angelus' weight as Angelus tackles him to the ground. Giles gets back up on his paws slowly. Too slowly, and his stance is too unsteady. He's tired. He pants heavily, eyes foggy.

Giles ducks to the left, but not fast enough to avoid Angelus' next strike. The smell of his blood is strong as he gets cut open. Buffy lets a small gasp escape her. Willow's hand slides into her own, and Buffy grips it tightly.

_What to do?_ she thinks. Nothing comes to her; her mind is completely blank.

Giles gets hit again.

And again.

And again until his blood is smeared into the field, his gray coat stained a dark red. When he changes forms and is unable to change back, Buffy looks on in horror as Angelus moves in for the kill. She moves without thinking, releasing Willow's hand. Buffy shifts, jumping into the fight, the anger and fear fueling her. Buffy knocks Angelus off Giles. She fights back the urge to go for Angelus' throat, trying to regain her composure as Angelus stares her down.

He shifts back into a human, and she follows. Giles' breaths are shallow, and the thread of fear running through her grows.

"This isn't proper, Buffy," Angelus says, his voice low, dangerous. There is blood on his shirt, and it is not his. She can smell Giles all over him, and it sickens her.

"Neither is challenging a man you already know you can defeat," she says, her voice coming out stronger than she feels. She is glad that her words don't come out shaky, but she doesn't want to sound challenging right now. Not with Giles' life on the line.

Buffy steps towards Angelus though, blocking his path to Giles. Angelus notices, of course, and grins as he looks between Giles' unconscious body and Buffy.

"Well, it's decided then," Angelus says, stretching his arms above his head and yawning. "Either you admit defeat, or he dies."

The choice is an easy one, but it still hurts her to say the words.

"You've won."


	4. Sequel - A Slow Burn - I

**Title: **A Slow Burn

**Author: **sentbyfools

**Summary: **Sequel to Inevitability. Buffy thinks she can just put her past behind her, but Angelus isn't ready to give up on her yet. He's a wolf that gets what he wants, and what he wants is Buffy.

**Warnings/Rating: **NC-17. dubcon, references to dubcon, angst, minor character death.

**Notes: **Thank you so much to ba2006, Abigael Ryan, Brandi Rochon, SMGbest, annekebb4ever, Artsitina for reviewing. You're the reason why this chapter is even being posted; I didn't want to keep you guys waiting. In that vein, reviews are my life blood. Even a simple "write more" or "this was good" makes me want to update faster, so if you like this story, please review. Thank you and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

**I.**

Under the light of the mid-year full moon, acknowledging the leadership of a new pack alpha means that the bond is set. There is no ritual to it, not really. All the new pack members have to do is accept him as their new pack alpha or die trying to fight him. Buffy makes sure that her pack does the former, stopping Faith and Xander from trying to fight Angelus with a simple look.

'For Giles,' she mouths at them, and the question and anger in their eyes die down to be replaced with identical looks of resignation. She turns to Willow and Oz to see them carrying Giles out of the field and then she turns her attention back to Angelus. She can't tell what he is thinking, whether he'll out her right here or wait until later.

Later it seems when he turns his gaze away from her to the rest of her pack.

"I'm only going to say this once so you better listen well," he starts loudly. His voice travels far in the crowded field.

"I'm nothing like your former alpha; I'm better," Angelus says.

Buffy hisses almost loud enough for him to hear. Xander gives her a sympathetic glance.

"I run my pack much differently than what you're used to. I don't want to get friendly with you, be buddy, buddy. I don't want to hear your thoughts. I'm the alpha, and you are my pack, and I have three simple rules."

"One, you will respect my people without argument, and because you are all now _my_ people, you will respect each other. Any fights will be settled by me and me alone."

"Two, you will follow my orders without question, and you will not talk back."

"And finally, you will respect me, or you will pay the consequences."

When he finishes speaking, a wave of nausea floods through Buffy. She looks around to see her pack and Angelus' pack grimacing, and knows that it is coming from him. _So the bond is set,_ she thinks, and another wave, this time one of despair, floods through her.

It doesn't take them long to all return to the house. Most of Angelus' people scatter when they reach the building, but Buffy notices Fred hovering in the living room. Buffy already knows what she wants. She signals to Faith and Xander to go on without her, mouthing 'I'll talk to Angelus' at them. She waits until she hears their footsteps echo on the second floor before she makes her way over to Fred.

"Buffy," Fred says happily.

Buffy can't muster the same excitement. "Fred," she says blandly.

"It's nice to see you again."

"I can't say the same. I thought I would never see you again," Buffy says.

"You thought you'd never see Angelus again," Fred clarifies. Buffy nods.

"He was angry for weeks after you left, you know. It was terrifying living with him," Fred says.

Buffy glances over at her. "I can imagine."

It isn't that Buffy doesn't feel badly about getting them in trouble, she does. It is just that even now with Angelus come back to haunt her, escaping him was still worth it. Finding her family again, getting to see her mother even for the brief period of time that she had with her - it was all worth it, and she'll be damned if anyone tries to make her feel guilty for it. It isn't her fault that Angelus is a psychopath. It isn't her fault. None of this is her fault.

_Everything is my fault._

Suddenly, Buffy feels like crying. She wants to leave Fred, but she can't, not yet. She looks back at her and says, "None of my family knows what happened to me, and I want it to stay that way."

"Okay," Fred replies.

"I'm serious," Buffy says because she _needs_ to make this clear. "They cannot know. Not from you, not from Gunn or Cordelia, not from anyone. Please make that clear to the rest of your pack."

"_Okay_, but Buffy," Fred says, grabbing her arm lightly. "It won't really matter anyway. Most of us are leaving tomorrow except for Gunn and Wesley. Cordelia and I will be taking over in LA while Angelus remains here."

Fred sounds upset at that but Buffy can't take her pain into account right now. She is too happy with the news. Not only does it lessen the likelihood of her family finding out about her mistake, but it also means that Angelus will be mostly unprotected. If need be, she can take him down before the six months is up and no one will be able to stop her. The thought of finally being rid of Angelus once and for all sends a thrill of pleasure and...something she doesn't wish to identify coursing through her veins.

"Buffy?" Fred says, bringing Buffy crashing back to reality. She looks up to see Angelus watching her from the doorway to the patio garden. Their eyes meet for a moment, before he turns and walks away. Buffy takes a deep breath.

"I'm sorry. I need to go. Remember what I said," Buffy says. She walks away from Fred and exits the room, following Angelus' steps.

She finds him leaning against one of the ivy covered pillars. He watches her as she approaches.

"Threatening my people? That's not a good way to get on my good side."

"I don't give a crap about your staying on your good side. You can go fuck yourself for all I care," Buffy says. Her head starts to spin suddenly, and Buffy feels like throwing up.

Angelus gives her a steady look before he relents. "I think you want to stay on my good side. For the sake of you and your pack."

"Fuck you," Buffy says even though she is fighting a losing battle. Angelus has the power here now as he just made so abundantly clear. The fantasy of taking him down before the next mid-year full moon disappears.

"Now, now, lover, don't make statements you're not willing to follow through on."

"It's been a long time, Buffy," Angelus says. He takes a couple of steps toward but Buffy shoots him a glare that makes him stop in his tracks. He seems to settle for leering at her instead.

"Half a year wasn't long enough," she snaps at him, folding her arms over her chest. His eyes follow the motion and Buffy wishes she hadn't moved at all.

"Too long a time," Angelus goes on as if she hadn't said anything at all. "I missed you, lover. You shouldn't have run off like that."

Buffy laughs. "You mean I shouldn't have gotten away from the psychopath holding me hostage? The psychopath who forced me to have sex with him?"

Angelus' eyes glow with anger. "I did not force you to have sex with me."

"You sure as hell made sure I didn't have any other choice," Buffy says, anger fading out of her voice to be replaced by sorrow.

Angelus flinches. "Don't act like you didn't enjoy it."

"I wish I didn't," she said mournfully. Realizing how much of her inner turmoil she has revealed to him, Buffy straightens up, shaking the painful feelings aside. "It's not like it's going to happen again."

"That's my girl. Living in denial as usual," Angelus says.

"I am not your girl. I am not your anything."

"You are a part of my pack now, so technically, you are mine."

_Not for long_, Buffy thinks, although she doesn't know how they're going to survive the next six months living under Angelus' rule. Especially since...

"This is my punishment, isn't it?"

Angelus doesn't bother to deny it. "Yes, it is," he says, "Like I said before, you shouldn't have left me, lover."

This time when he starts moving towards her, not even her glare stops him. When he tries to touch her, reaching out a hand to grab her wrist, she bats it away. He smirks, but doesn't try again.

"I'll wait," he says. "I already know you'll come to me. You've already done it once."

"Right," Buffy says, "I forgot how truly insane you are."

He chuckles. "And I forgot how feisty you are. Damn, I really missed you."

Buffy doesn't like the way he is looking at her now so takes another step back. She is going to have to turn her back to him eventually. She needs to leave, to somehow explain how he knew her name to her friends before they come looking for her and find her here.

"That's a sweet sentiment," she says, "Excuse me while I throw up."

She takes another step backwards and towards the door before finally she turns around to make her exit. Thankfully, he doesn't follow and Buffy lets out a sigh of relief as she makes her way up the stairs. Willow and Oz are probably still attending to Giles so she goes to the study. That is their hangout, the place they go when they need to just talk. When she enters the room, Faith and Xander are already deep in conversation. They look up when she enters. Buffy closes the door behind her.

"I spoke to Angelus," she says, starting to form the lie in her mind.

"What did he say? What is he going to do with us? And how does he know you?"

"Giles called him looking for me when I, you know, ran away, so he knows my name. It's probably how he learned our pack was without an alpha, too."

"And?" Faith asks, walking towards Buffy. "What else did he say?"

"Nothing more than what he said when he was giving us the whole, 'This is how I run my pack and you better respect me' talk," Buffy says.

Faith laughs. "You sound just like him, B. Seriously, that guy is ridiculous. Hot, but totally vicious and insane."

"You're telling me," Buffy mutters, but she can't help but laugh despite the reality of their situation.

"What I wouldn't give to -"

Xander cuts her off. "Don't you dare finish that sentence. There are some things a person doesn't need to hear."

"Tell that to Anya," Faith scoffs.

Xander gives her a confused look. "Anya?"

"You know, Anya, your girlfriend, who has described to us in graphic detail your sex life enough times to scar me for life," Faith says. "I didn't know you were into the kinky, Harris. I really wish I didn't know that."

"You're the pot calling the kettle black," Xander argues.

They start to argue back and forth. With the night Buffy's had and the thought of the many, many hard nights to come, Buffy just can't take it.

"Can we stop talking about sex please?" she says. She blushes. It wasn't meant to come out like that at all..

Xander and Faith both turn to stare at her, stopping mid-word.

"I forgot that you're queen innocent over here," Faith says. "Sorry for getting your panties in a twist, B."

Buffy doesn't remark on the barely veiled insult nor does she bother to correct her. She can't. That would mean revealing the truth, and she just can't do that. Not yet, probably not ever. They wouldn't understand. Buffy barely understands herself.

"How is Giles?" she says to turn the conversation away.

Xander and Faith both seem to subdue.

"He's pretty beat up, but Willow called and said that he should be healed up before the week is through."

"That's good," Buffy replies, voice breaking. The tears are building up in her eyes. _My fault_.

"I need to go," Buffy says. "I'll see you guys in the morning."

"B," Faith says. "It'll be alright."

Buffy wipes at her eyes. "Yeah, I know. It's just - what the hell are we going to do?"

Faith starts to shrug. Xander jumps up from where he has been sitting on the couch and says, "We'll cheer you on when you kick his ass in six months, of course."

Faith agrees, saying, "Yeah, we'll survive until we can get rid of him."

Buffy laughs. The tears are still there, but at least her family has some faith in her. If they only knew though - she can't let them find out. They would never forgive her.

"I'll check in on Willow, and then I'm going to bed. You guys should do the same."

They nod. "Aye, aye captain," Xander says.

Buffy smiles at him weakly. "Night, guys."

"Hey, what about our visitors? Where are they gonna stay?" Xander cuts in just before she exits the room.

Buffy shrugs. "I think they're staying at a hotel. Oh yeah, most of them will be gone tomorrow, so we'll be mostly free save for, you know, Angelus hovering over us."

"Lucky us," Faith says.

"Lucky us," Buffy agrees.

She leaves the room and goes up the next flight of stairs. She starts down the hall, but something feels wrong. She makes her way to her room slowly, and sure enough, Angelus is waiting inside by her vanity. He holds Mr. Gordo in his hands and when she sees that, she feels the anger build in her. Her father gave him to her, the image of Angelus with his hands all over him makes her blood boil.

"Why are you here? Get out," Buffy hisses at him.

"I need a place to sleep," he says, "and since we got so used to sleeping together..."

"Get out," Buffy says again.

"Maybe I'll just ask that brunette, Faith, to share her bed with me. The way she was eyeing me earlier, I'm sure she'd be happy to put me up."

Buffy crosses the room and tugs Mr. Gordo out of his hands before elbowing him hard. "Stay away from Faith. Stay away from my family."

He laughs and says, "And what will you do to ensure that I do that, lover?"

Buffy swallows hard but keeps his gaze despite the heated look he gives her. She doesn't know how to respond.

He moves past her and Buffy turns to watch him as he exits the room. "You think on that one, Buffy. I'll see you in the morning."

He closes the door behind him and only then does Buffy feel thankful that her room is the only one on the top floor. If Faith or Xander had overheard...Her heart beat starts to quicken as she thinks of how easily she could have been found out. She needs to minimize encounters like that in the future.

But how can she when what Angelus wants...

Buffy is going to need to figure something out and fast.

She gets herself ready for bed slowly. She isn't going to sleep well until this is all over, and she just hopes that he sleeps as badly as she will. Considering her luck though, he'll probably sleep like a baby.

_I hate him_, she thinks as she settles in to sleep.


	5. Sequel - A Slow Burn - II

**Title: **A Slow Burn

**Author: **sentbyfools

**Summary: **Sequel to Inevitability. Buffy thinks she can just put her past behind her, but Angelus isn't ready to give up on her yet. He's a wolf that gets what he wants, and what he wants is Buffy.

**Warnings/Rating: **NC-17. dubcon, references to dubcon, angst, minor character death.

**Notes: **Thank you so much to paris, Abigael Ryan, kara103, SMGbest, annekebb4ever, raintree85, and Princesakarlita411 for reviewing! Sorry, the chapter's so short this time. I promise the next one will be longer.

* * *

Buffy wakes up the next morning feeling even more depressed than when she finally, after hours of tossing and turning, fell asleep. It is the beginning of June, the beginning of summer break before she starts classes at UC Sunnydale. She should be happy and worry-free, goddamnit. She should be excited. Instead, she doesn't want to get out of bed for fear of what the day holds in store.

She has to though. She needs to get out of bed. She has to face Angelus even though she doesn't want to. She thought about it long and hard before she fell asleep, and she isn't going to go back on her decision now.

She throws off the blankets and hurries into the shower. They usually have breakfast together at around ten and it is 9:30 already. By the time she is dressed, it is 10:05, and she hurries down the stairs. When she enters the dining room, it is to see Gunn, Wesley, Xander, Faith, Willow, Oz, and Anya seated around the large dining table.

She holds in a breath, waiting for the fallout. Instead, Xander just gives her a look. Clearing his throat, he says, "Allow me to introduce our _guests_. This here is Gunn, and that's Wesley."

"Nice to meet you," Buffy says, hoping that her voice comes out smoothly and not as rattled as she feels.

"Likewise," Wesley says. He gives her a look, but Buffy ignores it. She focuses on the food at the table. Grabbing a plate off the counter, she makes her way to the table.

"I see you've found breakfast," Xander says.

"Food good, hungry Buffy bad," Buffy says.

"Don't we know it?" Xander says. He turns to Gunn and whispers sotto voce, "She's a monster when she hasn't eaten."

Gunn grins. "I'll just bet she is."

Buffy doesn't let her smile leave her face despite the urge to frown. If she just keeps smiling, they won't notice something is up. She just has to keep smiling.

"Lovely morning, isn't it?" Angelus says, entering the room. He stares at Buffy significantly as he says this. Buffy nearly snarls, the smile slipping from her face.

No one speaks for a long time. Finally, Willow breaks the silence.

"It is a lovely morning," Willow agrees timidly. "How-How are you?"

"I'm great, Willow, thank you for asking," Angelus says with a grin

"You know my name," Willow blurts out.

Angelus shrugs. "You really don't think I didn't research your pack before I decided to take you over?"

Buffy is grateful for his words, however their tone. Let her family think that he only knows her from his research. It was better for everyone that way.

Angelus turns his attention from Willow to Buffy. Buffy looks away quickly, unwilling to confront him in front of everyone. Instead she busies herself with getting food on her plate before sitting down in the empty seat beside Anya.

"Buffy," Anya whispers, "don't you think that sex with him would be amazing? He is gorgeous."

Buffy's frown deepens as she looks over Angelus' handsome form. He is gorgeous, tall and dark, with a body that looks someone lovingly sculpted him. Buffy curses herself for staring and whispers back, "I really don't want to think about that."

"Why not?" Anya says loudly this time, causing heads to turn to look at them.

"I'm. Not. Interested," Buffy says, trying to keep the blush from rising on her skin.

Anya snorts. "Right. Anyone not interested in getting a piece of that is lying."

Buffy meets Angelus' eyes. A smirk is playing on his lips and winks at her almost too quickly to see. Buffy seethes with hatred, among other things, and desperately hopes no one notices the latter.

She doesn't dare meet Oz's eyes, afraid of what she might see. She is grateful when the conversation starts again although she wishes her family would just ignore Angelus altogether. It is exactly what she wants to do.

"You researched us?" Willow says, curiosity clear in her tone.

"Well, I didn't. Wes, my resident researcher, did," Angelus says. He claps a heavy hand on Wes back as he passes him and then grabs a plate from off the counter. He seats himself in the empty seat across from Buffy.

"Pass the bacon?" he says to her. Buffy passes it without a word.

He turns back to Willow. "He did an amazing job too, which was lucky for him because I don't accept failure."

He says it so nonchalantly that the implication in his words can almost be overlooked. Buffy knows him far better than that though, knows just how serious he truly is about not accepting failure. She meets eyes with Gunn who nods at her in acknowledgment of Angelus' words.

"I know all about you Willow Rosenberg. In fact, I know everything about every single one of you, although I know some _far_ better than others."

Buffy can feel the look he is giving her, but she ignores it in favour of poking at her eggs. She is thinking. Inspired by his words, a plan of action is forming in her mind.

He has done his research. It is about damn time that Buffy finally did hers. She remembers her conversation with Wesley about her pack vividly. It is impossible for her to forget the shocking and damning things he told her. The things he told her about her pack's history.

_They're warriors. Why do you think you have such a wide array of families in your pack? _Wesley's words echo in her ears.

_Adoption,_ Buffy had replied, voice small.

_Adoption? That is total nonsense. Your father's pack, the Summers, the Slayers, devoured other packs. They'd take control of the pack through brutal force, send the weak members away and only keep the strong. If your father hadn't put a stop to the cycle and isolated you, the Council would surely have stepped in and put an end to your family._

Buffy shakes the memory away, focusing on the present. She needs to do as much research into Angelus as possible. She never did find out his weaknesses last time except for the fact that sex was a good distraction. She isn't going to use that this time, though, so research it is.

Thank god she has Willow to help her. She has no idea how she is even going to start finding out about him. Actually, she could start by asking Wes, but she doesn't think he'll be too amenable to her cause. Angelus did say that she could ask Wes about him, but she knows that it probably won't be too revealing of Angelus' weaknesses.

So, Wes is kind of out of the question. _Thank god_, Buffy thinks again,_ that I have Willow._

_And Giles,_ a little voice says, but Buffy doesn't want to think about Giles right now so she squashes the thought. She'll ask Willow about him later when she can afford to start crying again. For now, she needs to stay strong.

"Why did you want our pack?" Oz asks. Buffy's eyes widen. _Oh no, oh no_.

"It seemed like a good acquisition," Angelus says evasively, and digs back into the pancakes on his plate.

Buffy lets out a deep, shaky breath. Oz gives her a look but doesn't say anything more. She is going to have to get better at the pretending thing. She can't afford for anyone to notice her reactions to Angelus. She focuses on her food and eats the rest of her meal in silence.

* * *

After breakfast, she goes down to the basement where everyone has gone to watch TV.

"I need you guys to find out everything you can about Angelus without him knowing about it," Buffy says.

"You mean we're sneaking around behind his back?" Xander asks.

Buffy graces him with a look. Xander sheepish, says, "Right. Obviously we are with the him not knowing about it and all."

"What are we looking for?" Willow asks. "Do you want his history?"

"I want his weaknesses," Buffy says. "Anything that will give me the advantage, that's what I want you to find."

"Should be no problem," Xander says."The guy seems like he's built of anger and steel. It'll be like searching for a needle in a haystack."

Buffy grimaces at his sarcasm. "I know it'll be really difficult, but I'm really counting on you guys. I'm not sure I can fight him with the way things are now. I need an assured victory. I need you to do this for me."

"You're the alpha here. You say 'jump', we say 'how high?'" Xander says with a smile.

"Thanks, guys. I'll see you later," she says.

Faith grabs her by the arm. "Wait, where will you be?"

"I'm going to talk to Angelus and see what else I can find out about him."

"Be careful. I don't think you should rile him up," Willow says.

Buffy smiles. "You know me. I'm always on my best behavior."

* * *

Buffy finds Angelus in Giles study. She balks at the image of him in place of Giles' familiar one, but she doesn't say anything about it for fear of what might come out. Probably lots of cursing.

"I won't sleep with you," Buffy says when he finally looks at her.

He gives her a bored look. "You're starting to sound like a broken record, Buffy."

"I'm not - " She sighs, exasperated. "Look, I don't understand why you seem to think that I'm joking with you. I'm not going to sleep with you because I don't want you."

"You're lying to yourself, Buffy. You and I both know that."

"Shut-up," Buffy hisses.

"I love a bossy woman," Angelus says and gives her a wide grin.

Buffy rolls her eyes. "You will leave me alone."

Angelus' grin turns evil. "I will do whatever the hell I damn well please, and you will remember who the alpha of this pack is."

She glares at him, but doesn't say anything back. The threat in his words is clear. Either she gives in to him or he makes her give in to him.

_It'll have to be the latter,_ she thinks, but then he gives her a heated look that shoots straight through her. She lets out a tiny gasp at the feeling of want that the look creates in her. She takes a step back, staring at him with wide eyes. Something, the wolf inside her lets out a whine, plaintive and wanting, and Buffy takes another step back before fleeing the room.


	6. Sequel - A Slow Burn - III

**Title: **A Slow Burn

**Author: **sentbyfools

**Summary: **Sequel to Inevitability. Buffy thinks she can just put her past behind her, but Angelus isn't ready to give up on her yet. He's a wolf that gets what he wants, and what he wants is Buffy.

**Warnings/Rating: **NC-17. dubcon, references to dubcon, angst, minor character death.

**Notes: **Thank you so much to paris, Brandi Rochon, sheaka13, SMGbest, annekebb4ever, and Princesakarlita411 for reviewing! This chapter is really, really M-rated so beware. If anything seems off or rushed, please, please let me know!

* * *

It is mid-afternoon the next day, and Buffy walks down the stairs on her way to the basement gym. She stops mid-step when she sees the other person making their way up the stairs.

"Giles, you're back," Buffy says.

Giles gives her a weak smile. "So it would seem. My time spent at Amy's house was not a fun one, so I am glad to be home despite..."

"Despite Angelus," Buffy fills in.

Giles nods. Just the effort of doing that looks tiring. Buffy frowns and says, "You're still hurt."

She moves to help him up the stairs but he waves a hand at her, brushing her concern aside. "I have work to do. Willow informed me of the situation."

Buffy starts to argue, but the look in Giles' eyes cuts her off before the words leave her mouth. Sighing, she says, "She's in her room. Angelus has...taken over your study. I was going to the gym."

"I would like you to join me in Willow's room for a quick moment, Buffy. There are a few things I must tell you."

_That sounds foreboding_, she thinks. She follows him up the stairs, slowing her pace to match his weakened one.

Buffy knocks on Willow's door. She hears Willow's laptop snap shut and then Willow opens the door for them.

"Thank god, it's you," Willow says.

Buffy quirks an eyebrow at her. "Expecting someone else?"

Willow moves to the side to let Giles and Buffy enter. "More like dreading. I keep -"

She stops, closes the door, and then continues, voice barely above a whisper. "I keep thinking _he's_ gonna come in here and catch me and strangle me or torture me or worse."

"He's not going to -"

"I've done the research, Buffy. He's a monster." She turns to Giles and says, "Hello, Giles. You're here! I'm so happy you're better! Amy told me you were on your way."

Giles smiles at Willow warmly. "It's nice to see you too, Willow."

He then turns back to Buffy, the smile disappearing from his face. "Buffy, I quite agree with Willow's assessment. Angelus is a monster."

Buffy winces. "What are my chances?"

Giles lets out a huff of frustration. "There are no chances here. You're not challenging him. I won't allow it."

Buffy huffs right back at him. "And I won't allow us to have him any longer than necessary. Now tell me what you needed to tell me."

Giles glares at her, and Buffy meets his gaze steadily. Finally, he relents, sighing heavily. "I'll start at the beginning with Angelus leaving his former pack," he says.

Buffy walks over to and flops down on Willow's bed. "Great, I don't like this already."

"It doesn't get any better," Willow assures her.

"No one that I've spoken to knows why he left, but after years of remaining a part of the Aurelius pack, he defaulted. For a while, no one heard anything from him. Then one day, he shows up in LA and challenges the leader of a small pack in San Diego. He slaughters him, takes his pack, and then moves on across California to the next pack, and the next, eliminating their leaders with pure brute force. It wasn't long before he had most of California's packs under his control. He has power to rival even that of his former pack _and_ the Council."

"So, he's never lost and he doesn't seem to have any weaknesses. That's _great_ to know." Buffy knows she's being unnecessarily rude, but she just can't seem to stop herself.

"This is why you mustn't fight him, Buffy. I won't have you risking your life on a fool's errand."

"Trying to save my pack from a, and I quote, 'monster' is a fool's errand? Giles," Buffy says with bite, "spare me. I can take care of myself."

Giles looks her over intently. "Remember what you said to me before my fight with Angelus?"

Buffy's heart speeds up. _Does he remember what I was about to tell him?_

"I can't lose you, either," he continues.

Buffy smiles at him grimly, grateful that he didn't seem to remember her near admission. "And you won't. The only person who'll be losing is Angelus."

Giles gives her a doubtful look. Buffy ignores it, putting on her game face. Finally, he relents, and says, "I hope you know what you are doing."

"I do."

"And I shall support you as much as I can," Giles finishes.

"Is there anything else?" Buffy asks.

"Not that I can think of at the moment," Willow says. Giles nods in agreement.

"Okay then, I want you guys to stay away from him as much as possible. He's dangerous and I don't want to see any of you get hurt. Let me deal with him if you have any issues that you need him to take care of," Buffy says, her voice taking on an authoritative tone.

Buffy turns to leave but Giles' next words stop her in her tracks.

"You've turned into a real leader since I've been gone, Buffy, and you'll make an even greater one once Angelus is gone," Giles says quietly.

"I -" Buffy starts. "Thank you," she says, although she doesn't feel much like a good leader at all. She feels more like a screw-up trying to fix their mistakes, but if Giles thinks she is a leader, then that is what she shall be. She'll be there for her pack in whatever capacity they need her in. It is what she should have done all along.

_No use for wallowing in the past,_ she thinks and hopes that the message finally starts to sink in.

* * *

That night, Buffy takes Willow and Xander for a run. She wanted to be a wolf, wanted to revel in the feel of shedding her human skin. She didn't want to do it alone however, not after the days that have passed, and what better people to run with than her best friends?

They join her willingly, glad to be out of the house, glad to be with Buffy. Buffy is glad to be with them. They change and run down and through the woods together. They don't speak except in touch, brushing against one another, rolling through the grass and underbrush. When they finally grow tired, they lie down in the grass and watch the sky until the sun starts to rise.

* * *

Four blissful days pass without running into Angelus, and Buffy is happier than she has been since he arrived. Her luck can't last though, and it does when on the next day she meets him in the hallway. They are the only ones in the house besides Gunn and Wes. Buffy's pack decided to take a beach day, but Buffy wasn't keen on leaving the house entirely empty so she opted to stay behind. She regrets that decision now.

She walks past him, intending to cut their encounter short.

"What's your hurry, Buff?"

She stops, changing direction so that she is facing him. "My name's not Buff. It's _Buffy_. Say it with me now. Buff-_y_."

Buffy turns her back to Angelus, about to walk to her room, but before she can there is a strong hand on her arm, the grip too tight for her to pull out of.

"What are you doing, Buffy?" Angelus says, drawing out her name, his tone smug. His expression is even more so, and Buffy wants to wipe the smugness off his face. The desire to just leave and return to the relative safety of her room is stronger though.

"I'm leaving. You should try it too."

He grins at her. "What? Don't you enjoy my company? You didn't object to it all before. In fact you ─"

She twists out of his grip, anger making her stronger. "Don't even finish that sentence."

"So feisty. It's almost as if you're not even afraid of me," Angelus says, fingers reaching out to brush across her cheek softly.

Buffy backs up a step, out his reach. The gentle brush of his fingers leaves a warmth on her skin that her instincts are telling her to relax into. She is good at ignoring those now though, good at suppressing the wolf. At least she thinks she is. The feeling of his hand on her skin is starting to make her question that.

"I'm _not_ afraid of you," she says, and _that is the end of the conversation_ she thinks, except he grabs her again, this time by her shoulder.

He steps closer to her so that her back is pressed up against his chest. Angelus pulls back her hair, angling his head towards her ear and whispers, "You should be."

And she knows he's right. She should be terrified of him. She's seen his anger before, has been on the receiving end of it. She doesn't feel any fear though, trapped in his embrace - at least, she doesn't feel any fear of him. Fear of herself, well, that's another matter entirely.

"Let go of me," Buffy says. The bones are moving under her skin, preparing for a shift. Just speaking is difficult ─ she is so angry, and the bloodlust is starting and so is the arousal. She is resisting it, but it is _so _hard. The thought of giving in to it is terrifying.

"Let go of me before I hurt you," she says, and his grips loosens enough for her to pull away from him again. She starts walking away, at the same time trying to tamp down on the heat racing in her veins. She can smell him, the sweat on his skin, his aftershave, his arousal. It is heady and she stops, taking a deep calming breath before continuing her descent down the hall.

He lets her go, but he doesn't leave her alone. He follows her down the hall, and she just doesn't have the energy to tell him to go away. She doesn't want to fight him; she just wants to be left in peace.

She isn't going to get that though, she realizes quickly. There is a small part of her that doesn't even want that. With the scent of his arousal surrounding her, that small part is growing larger by the second. She sighs heavily, resigned to her fate. When Buffy enters her room, she doesn't have time to even attempt to close her bedroom door behind her before he is shoving his way inside. He closes the door behind him and when he leans down to kiss her, she lets him, moaning into his mouth eagerly.

"Good girl," he whispers against her lips before continuing his assault on her mouth. There is no gentleness to his kiss. His tongue duels with her own, his teeth nipping at her bottom lip. Buffy groans at the tiny shocks of pain, aroused and scared by the magnitude of that arousal.

He grasps her by the cheek and then slides his fingers through her hair. She doesn't notice when his hands encircle her waist, but she does notice when he pulls her against him hard. He wedges himself between her thighs and then lifts her so that her legs can wrap around his waist. Her already short skirt drags up her thighs as she grasps him, allowing them to move even closer.

She gasps when she feels the weight of arousal against her. Even through their layers of clothes, she can feel just how hot and pulsing his need is. She grinds against him, wanting him closer. Angelus punishes her with his kiss, biting at her lip until he draws blood. Buffy returns the favour, leaving an identical mark on him.

She pulls away to take deep, heaving breaths of air. When Angelus catches her gaze, she doesn't look away. She studies him as carefully as he studies her. He looks cool and collected despite their heated make out. Buffy can only imagine what she looks like to him.

Angelus pulls away only to place bruising kisses along the expanse of bare skin along her throat. He lifts her up higher and starts walking towards the bed.

"Wait," Buffy says, suddenly coming to her senses. She shouldn't be doing this. She didn't have to give in.

"I'm not waiting any longer. I've been waiting too long for this," Angelus says. She wonders momentarily if she fought him would he force her? The thought of that terrifies her. She wriggles in his arms, trying to break free.

"Let me go," she says.

"Give me a good reason," he says, staring down at her in his arms.

"It's _wrong_," she says because saying she doesn't want to would just be a lie. She wants to with a ferocity that scares her.

He laughs. "It isn't wrong lover. It's the one thing that's right."

He lays her down carefully on her bed. Buffy tries to crawl away, but he surrounds her with his arms, trapping her within his embrace. He eases his way between her legs so that he can't sit on his knees.

"Tell me you don't want this," he says in harsh whisper. "Look me in the eyes and tell me."

She can't. God help her, she can't say no. She wants to, lord knows she does, but the words are forced down by the truth. She wants him, wants this.

She is too weak to say no. _Fuck._

She whimpers. Angelus takes that as acquiescence. He releases her enough to slide his hands up under her button-down top. He tears it off of her, sending the buttons flying in all directions. She makes a noise of disapproval but otherwise doesn't react. She is too focused on keeping her breathing steady.

Her body leans into the warm touch of his fingers against the bare skin of her stomach. He drags himself down her body until his face is pressed flush against her still covered breasts. They don't stay covered for long. Moments later, her bra has gone the same way as her shirt, pulled off her body in a swift movement that left Buffy's skin stinging and the white fabric torn beyond repair.

"Ow," she says, and thinks that with the pain she has regained the strength to pull away when his lips brush against her erect nipple. She lets out a gasp of surprise. He holds her still with one hand. With the other, he cups one breast in his hand, stroking the soft flesh. He takes the nipple of her other breast into his mouth, sucking on it.

Buffy moans, unconsciously pressing her breast further into the warmth of his mouth. He removes the hand fondling her breast and Buffy huffs at the loss of contact. The hand travels lower pulling her skirt so that it bunches up around her waist. He rubs her through her panties, which, to her shame, are damp.

Wantonly, she grinds herself against his hand. Angelus growls around her nipple. He releases her nipple from the confines of his mouth and then drags himself even farther down her body, so that he is kneeling on the floor between her legs. He pulls off her skirt, and then drags her down the bed.

Confused, Buffy sits up on her elbows. _What is he doing..._

When he removes her panties, it clicks. She tries to crawl backwards , but his grip on her tightens enough to bruise so she stops fighting him. He pushes her knees up and then pulls her down so that his shoulders spread her thighs apart.

"Wait, you can't -"

"Oh, I definitely can," he says huskily. "And I certainly will."

"But it's -"

Her words are cut off by the first delicate brush of his fingers against her outer lips. He slides his finger along the curves before dipping them inside her wet, aching core. He presses two fingers inside of her as deep as the will go. Her body clenches around the intrusion. Buffy falls back on the bed, unable to hold herself up any longer.

He removes his fingers to Buffy's displeasure. She closes her eyes when she sees him leaning his head towards her sex, and opens them again at the first stroke of his tongue.

He parts the folds of her lips with his tongue, and then plumbs the depths of her sex. Buffy feels like she is on fire. Not even the first time when he'd touched her with his fingers had been this good. This...she can't think of a word to describe what this is except heaven. It's heaven, and isn't that ironic that she is experiencing heaven with the man who has made her life hell?

"Please," she begs. She doesn't know what she is asking for exactly. She only knows that she doesn't want him to stop, not ever.

He thrusts his tongue inside her. Buffy keens, arching her back. Her hands fist in her sheets, and then slide down to rest on Angelus' head. When his tongue flicks her clit, she moans softly and fists her hands in his hair. He growls and then encircles her clit with his mouth, sucking on it softly. She grips him tighter as she fights for control over her breathing. She is so close, so close. All it takes is one more swipe of his tongue before she comes, eyes shut and with his name on her lips.

Angelus gently pulls her hands out of his hair. He pushes her back on the bed so that she is laying fully on it. It only takes a minute for him to divest himself of his clothing and then he crawls his way up the bed until he is hovering over her. Buffy turns red when she opens her eyes to look at him. Her release is glistening on his smiling face. Embarrassment races through her. He doesn't seem to care though, and so when he leans down to kiss her, she kisses him back with a fervor to match.

_What am I doing? _she asks herself as his hand travels along the curve of her breasts. He tweaks one of her hardened nipples sending a sharp tug of pleasure racing through her. He crawls between her legs, and Buffy forgets to think with the heavy ache of his arousal pressed up against her sex.

"Do you want me, Buffy?" he asks, tone steadier than it has any right to be. She curses him for his tight rein over himself. It isn't fair that one touch from him sends her spiraling out of control, and he can just lay there and talk like he hasn't just had his face between her legs.

His hand slides over her thigh and through the nest of curls centered above her sex. When his hand starts to slide lower, she grips the sheets in her empty hands and tries to think about anything but the fire starting to build itself within her again.

"Do you want me, Buffy?" he asks again, lightly stroking his thumb along her clit.

She wants to be able to say no, but it has already gone too far. There is no going back.

"Yes I want you. Please..."

"Please what, baby?" he says.

She can't look at him directly. Instead, she focuses her gaze on a point just over his shoulder.

"Look at me, Buffy, and tell me what you want," he commands when she doesn't respond.

Buffy, ever defiant, ignores him and continues to stare at the space of wall behind him. The pressure on her clit increases. Buffy lets out a breathy noise, not quite a moan.

"Fine," she says, turning needy eyes on him. The words are a struggle to get out, embarrassment colouring her cheeks. "Fuck me please."

"As my lady commands," he murmurs.

Angelus pushes until just the head of his cock is nestled insider of her. Buffy whines plaintively. This isn't what she wants. The isn't what she asked for. God help her, she wants Angelus to fuck her. None of this gentle teasing. She wants him inside her.

_There's no going back_, she thinks again. She pushes her hips up, forcing him all the way inside her. Her insides flutter around him, her body molding to fit him. Buffy's body burns up again as he strokes in and out of her at a pace that leaves her panting for him.

Angelus leans down so that they're pressed almost chest to chest.

"God, you are so hot, baby," he whispers hotly in her ear. "Your tight cunt squeezing my cock...it's almost like heaven."

Buffy blushes at his crude words, but continues to meet his thrusts. The fullness, the heavy weight of his cock buried inside her, it overwhelms her senses. She tries to focus on her breathing, but the look in his eyes nearly takes that carefully guarded breath away. He wants her as much as she wants him, and that dark look of need is what sends her careening over the edge again. Her orgasm hits her hard, forcing a cry of pleasure out of her.

He grunts, his thrusts speeding up. She can feel her insides fluttering around him, the pleasure of that feeling building her up to yet another orgasm. She digs her nails into the unyielding flesh of his back.

"Oh my god," she says, unable to stop herself.

"Not god," he says fiercely, driving into her harder. "Me. I'm the one fucking you. Say my name, lover."

"Angelus," his name falls from her lips.

He pulls out almost all the way, and then slams into her almost hard enough to bruise. The feeling only serves to make her bite her lip in pleasure as her orgasm crashes through her.

He follows her moments later, burying his face in her neck. He rests his whole weight on her, and Buffy can't move even if she wants to. And she doesn't want to, her body still pulsing with the aftershocks of her multiple orgasms.

After a while, he rolls off of her. Buffy closes her eyes as her orgasm begins to fade and reality begins to settle back in.

She just had sex with Angelus. She just had sex with Angelus.

"Fuck," she says aloud.

Sitting up is difficult. Her body feels loose-limbed and her head is still swimming. She shouldn't have done this.

"Get out," she says.

He chuckles. "Having regrets?" he says, sounding sleepy. Buffy is horrified to realize that her body reacts to the sound. She pushes at him until he rolls off the bed. He lands on his feet gracefully and she hates him for it.

He turns to look at her. Despite how intimate they just were, Buffy still tugs the tangled top cover over her body.

"Ever the modest one, I see," he says, letting out a laugh. Buffy feels furious at him, but mostly at herself. She is supposed to have more self-control than that.

She glares at him. "Get out," she says again.

"You might want to take a shower. You look and smell like you've been well fucked," Angelus says sharply. A nasty grin covers his face and he gives her a look that is both prideful and angry, a look that she has only ever seen him manage. She has hit a nerve, she knows. She pulls the blanket more tightly around her, prepared to fight him if he initiates it.

He stands there for a long moment and stares down at her with dark eyes, jaw tense. Finally, he says, "We'll continue this another day."

"Continue?" she asks, confused.

"You think that I'd only want you once? Oh no, baby. I'm in it for the long haul."

Angelus grabs up his clothes, blows a kiss at her, and says, "I'll see you later, Buffy," before exiting the room.


	7. Sequel - A Slow Burn - IV

**Title: **A Slow Burn

**Author: **sentbyfools

**Summary: **Sequel to Inevitability. Buffy thinks she can just put her past behind her, but Angelus isn't ready to give up on her yet. He's a wolf that gets what he wants, and what he wants is Buffy.

**Warnings/Rating: **NC-17. dubcon, references to dubcon, angst, minor character death.

**Notes: **Thank you so much to paris, Brandi Rochon, raintree85, SMGbest, annekebb4ever, Delia Winters, and ba2006 for reviewing! I tried to focus more on Angelus in this chapter, I hope this is to your liking! If anything seems off or rushed, please, please let me know!

* * *

_What am I going to do?_ Buffy thinks mournfully. She stands under the hot spray of the her shower, wishing the water could wash away her feelings of shame and disgust.

She shouldn't have done it. She shouldn't have given in so easily. She had a choice, and she made the wrong one. Sleeping with Angelus? She knew better than that.

_Remember last time? He had to __**groom**_ _you to get you in his bed. What did he do this time? Kiss you? All he did was kiss you._

"All he did was kiss me," she whispers to herself, horrified.

The wolf in her had wanted him though, and if she was brave enough to admit, had wanted him since before she left him all those months ago. The wolf had wanted him, and the girl just bowed to its wishes.

_Never again_, she thinks fervently. She bites her lip and prays that she doesn't give in again. She cannot afford to dig herself deeper into this hole than she already has.

At least, she can comfort herself with one thing, that this, her mistake, doesn't change the fact that in six months she will get rid of Angelus for good.

Five months, three weeks, and a day to be exact.

She smiles despite her newest predicament. No, it doesn't change a thing. She laughs and lets the water wash away the tears that spill down her cheeks.

* * *

_Too easy,_ he muses. _That was far too easy._

He showers quickly and heads down to the former pack master's study, all the while thinking that getting Buffy naked had been way too easy. Could it mean that she is willing to give him what he wants? No, it couldn't possibly mean that. Buffy doesn't even know what he wants. So what could it mean?

_Probably nothing_. Angelus laughs aloud. _I bet that if I try that move again, she'll do nothing less than fight me. _Buffy wouldn't allow herself to make the same mistake twice, at least not so soon and not quite in the same way. Angelus knows her well enough to know that.

He'll just have to keep changing his methods, then.

When he gets to the study, Gunn and Wesley are already waiting. Angelus takes a seat in the desk chair before waving a hand for them to start speaking.

"The people have been talking..."

"About us? No surprise there," Angelus says, already bored by the thread of conversation.

"I think we should make some more appearances in town, let them see what kind of people we are."

Angelus smirks. "And what kind of people are we, Charles?"

Gunn frowns. "I meant that we should let them know we aren't serial killers."

Sarcastically, he adds, "Although for you that might be a little difficult."

Angelus chuckles at the remark. "I see your point. We'll make it a night out, make a circuit around all the clubs and bars. How about tonight?"

Gunn gives him a stiff smile. "It sounds like a plan. Should we split up?"

Angelus nods. "It would be best. Anything else?"

Wesley exchanges a look with Gunn, and says, "Lindsey called while you were...occupied."

Angelus ignores the reference to his tryst with Buffy and focuses on the 'Lindsey' part of Wesley's statement.

"What did he want?" he asks.

Wesley clears his throat and exchanges another look with Gunn. "The Master requests and audience with you."

Angelus snarls. "Call him back and tell him he can go screw himself."

Wesley rolls his eyes. "I already did that. You forget, I know you well, Angelus. When I said that the Master requested an audience with you, what I meant was that he demanded it, even when I told Lindsey that under no circumstances would you be acknowledging the request."

Wesley's voice falters as he continues, "But the thing is..."

Angelus senses that something is off, and he leans forward in his chair. "But the thing is what, Wes?"

"The thing is that he not only wants to meet you. He wants to meet Buffy as well."

Angelus throws his hands to the side, causing objects to fall off the desk and clatter to the floor. Wesley and Gunn flinch, but stand their ground, although it is hard with Angelus' anger pulsing through them.

"He wants to meet Buffy? How the fuck - who told him?" Angelus demands.

"I don't know how he found out about her, although I have to say, it was inevitable. She is, was, the named alpha of her pack."

Angelus fumes silently, reigning his anger back under his control. He isn't sure if Buffy felt it, and hopes suddenly that she hasn't. He doesn't need her to know that things aren't going to his liking. He knows she is looking for a weakness in him, and he doesn't need her finding out anymore about his past than she already knows.

It wouldn't be good for either of them.

"Tell Lindsey that if he wants to see her, then he'll be at Gregory's party next weekend," he says.

Wesley looks at him, confusion etched on his face. "Are you sure that is wise?"

Angelus just gives him a look. Taking Buffy to Gregory's party is the smartest move he could make. It is neutral ground, a place that would make the Master pause before starting something. It is much better than going to the Master in person, or having him send someone here, which are the only other choices Angelus has. He can't just ignore him no matter how much he wishes to. He isn't strong enough, his pack isn't strong enough - not yet at least.

Wesley shuts his mouth and says, "I will tell him. Anything else you need me to do?"

"No," Angelus says. "Except - if Buffy comes around asking about me, make sure she finds out nothing about this."

Wesley raises an eyebrow, but says nothing, which is good for him because Angelus is still pissed enough that any backtalk at the moment might send him off the edge again.

Angelus waves a hand, a dismissal. They leave after a long moment as if they had something more to say. Angelus isn't asking for their opinion; he doesn't want it. The only thoughts that matter are his own, and at the moment they are focused on one thing and one thing only.

_What are you up to,_ _Nest? _

* * *

That evening they decide to finish their day with a trip to the Bronze to watch Oz play. Buffy doesn't want to go. She isn't exactly in the mood for dealing with anyone after the events, or _event_, of the day, but she says "yes" when they ask despite that.

_Maybe going out is exactly what I need_, she decides. She stares at herself in her wall mirror. She smiles. At first the expression is hard to maintain with the thoughts and images of her fucking Angelus swirling around her mind. Finally, she is able to push it aside and focus on having fun. _Having fun_, _I can do that,_ she thinks and the smile becomes real.

_Screw Angelus_, she thinks.

* * *

"I heard you're the person to get information from around here."

Angelus stares at the small, rat-like bartender. Willy, Gunn told him his name was. Of course, he'd be the center of information. People like him, they were meant to fill roles like that.

"And if I am?" the bartender says, puffing up his chest even while his voice rattles in fear.

Angelus rolls his eyes. "I have money."

He pulls out a wad of bills. Willy glances at it greedily and then back to Angelus' face.

"Then, we are in business. What do you wanna know?"

Angelus leans across the bar. "I want to know if anyone new enters this town."

"You mean besides you and your friends?"

Angelus gets annoyed then. He reaches across the bar and grabs the bartender by the throat, growling softly. Willy freezes, eyes widening fearfully.

"Of course," he grits out.

"Okay, okay, put me down," Willy demands, voice still shaking with fear.

Angelus does and counts out two hundred dollars. He hands them to the shaken bartender. Willy takes it readily despite his obvious opinion of Angelus.

"I'll pay more when you come through for me. Treat this as an incentive."

"Yeah, anything else you wanna know?"

Angelus smiles. "I'll let you know."

He leaves the bar and heads to the Bronze, excitement speeding up his steps. Buffy and her friends had left the house earlier to go there. It was perfect, so perfect that he couldn't even have planned it better. He could watch _her_ and get his work done at the same time.

He enters the Bronze and stalks around the club, making sure to stay out of sight. He searches the club with his eyes until he finds her, and when he does, he lets a smile curl around his lips, watching her sway to the music.

* * *

She feels him before she sees him. No one has ever made her so...uncomfortable isn't exactly the word, but she doesn't know how else to describe it. No one has ever made her feel so aware of herself.

She turns away from the stage and looks around until she spots him, standing by the stairs leading to the upper level. He just stares at her as she glares at him.

She wants to ignore him, but finds she can't. She turns back to the stage, the feeling of his eyes on her a constant, inescapable presence.

* * *

He can tell when she notices him. She freezes and her body tenses up and it is glorious that he can have that effect on her. He wants to do more than just make her uncomfortable. He wants her to think of nothing but him, so he just stands there in the shadows and watches her.

After a while, out of the corner of his eye, he watches a woman start to approach him. She has been eying him since he walked in. He had expected admirers - Sunnydale is a small town, probably without any man that can compare to him. The woman is a gorgeous blonde, long legged with great tits. Angelus is only interested in one blonde though, so when she sidles up to him and attaches herself to his side, he merely grits his teeth.

Without looking at her, he says, "There's only one girl I'm going home with tonight and it isn't you."

"Who? The little chit you've been watching? She doesn't seem very happy to see you. Come on, you can do better than that."

Angelus turns to look at her. She smiles at him seductively, twirling a finger in her hair with the hand not grasping his arm. _Pathetic_. He leans down so that he is mere inches away from her face and smiles. She licks her lips unconsciously. When she leans closer, he says, "There is no better than _that_, and you can't possibly compete."

He steps away, smirking at the look of outrage on her face. He glances back to Buffy who he knows has been watching their entire exchange. Angelus throws her a smile. She glares at him. _What could you be thinking in that lovely blonde head of yours_? Angelus wonders. He hopes she is jealous, but as charming as he knows he is, he doubts that Buffy is feeling anything but hate towards him for cutting in on her evening out. She was probably hoping he'd go home with the woman. Well, as much as he loves to satisfy his girl, he isn't going to give her that. No, the only woman he plans on fucking anytime soon is Buffy.

He replaces his smile with a smirk and mouths his undying devotion at her so only she can see. She freezes entirely, and that reaction is victory enough for him. He climbs the stairs behind him and leaves her to her night.

* * *

_We both know that the only girl I want in my bed is you, lover._

"Buffy are you okay? You look sick," Willow says. Buffy shakes her head and acknowledges Willow.

Willow cranes her neck as she looks in the direction where Angelus was originally before he left. Buffy is glad that he left before anyone but her noticed. This is supposed to be a fun night out. No one's evening needs to be ruined because of him. No one's but Buffy's. It is her fault that he is here, she might as well suffer because of it.

"I'm fine, Willow," she says after a spell. "I'm just a little tired is all."

"Maybe we should go home, then?" Willow suggests lightly. Buffy sees the disappointment in Willow's gaze, can hear it in her tone, and she shakes her head vehemently.

"No, we can stay. Ignore me," Buffy says.

"But -"

Buffy raises a hand to silence her. "No buts. Listen to your boyfriend play. Enjoy yourself, and I'll do the same."

Willow smiles at her brightly, and turns her attention back to the stage. "I see Faith."

Buffy glances at Faith. She watches for a moment as Faith grinds against two guys before the sight becomes too uncomfortable for her to maintain.

"But I wonder where Xander and Anya have gotten off to," Willow continues.

Buffy and Willow share a look. "No you don't."

"You're right," Willow says, laughing. "I really, really don't."


	8. Sequel - A Slow Burn - V

**Title: **A Slow Burn

**Author: **sentbyfools

**Summary: **Sequel to Inevitability. Buffy thinks she can just put her past behind her, but Angelus isn't ready to give up on her yet. He's a wolf that gets what he wants, and what he wants is Buffy.

**Warnings/Rating: **NC-17. dubcon, references to dubcon, angst, minor character death.

**Notes: **Thank you so much to paris, Brandi Rochon, Abigael Ryan, Princesakarlita411, SMGbest, annekebb4ever, Delia Winters, and ba2006 for reviewing!Things are starting to move along faster now, I hope not too fast! If anything seems off or rushed, please, please let me know!

* * *

Once again, Buffy is left all alone in the house. She sighs; being stuck on her own is looking to become a regular thing. As much as she would rather be out with her family, her friends, she would much rather not leave the house with Angelus in it. Although Giles is home as well, she doesn't want to leave him alone with Angelus either. Angelus has already proven once how much damage he can do to Giles; Buffy isn't going to let him do it again.

So, she stays home and tries to find something to do. Unfortunately, in her search for that, she runs into Angelus. He is dressed in just a black wife beater and a pair of sweatpants, and there is sweat dripping down his forehead. She mentally checks off exercising from her list of things to do, not wanting to run into him in case he decides to go down the basement's gym again.

She puts her hands up, a stopping motion and says, "I'm really not in the mood," just as she thinks, _he smells really good._

She presses her hand to her mouth, shocked at her thought. _Really, self?_

Angelus takes a step towards her, frowning, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she snaps, pulling her hand away. She wants to take a step back, but more than that, she doesn't want to lose ground to him, so she stays put.

He gives her a bewildered look. "Okay," he says, and then his expression shifts. Buffy sighs heavily, preparing to face him down. _I can do this,_ she thinks, _I can resist him._

But then he reaches forward and takes her hand in his, and all hell breaks loose. She doesn't tug away immediately, which she thinks afterwards, when he steps fully into her personal space, is mistake number one. Mistake number two is letting him lean down and kiss her without protesting at all. Mistake number three, which is the biggest, is kissing him back.

"No," she says, panting against his lips. She takes a deep breath and repeats more firmly, "No."

He smiles slyly and says, "Sure, Buffy, I can wait. You know as well as anyone how patient I can be."

She pushes his chest so that he has to step away from her. Her arousal dies down just as quickly as it came, and she is so very thankful for that.

"You'll be waiting until the end of time," she says with finality.

He quirks an eyebrow at her. "Excuse me if I don't believe you when I had you spread-legged on your bed less than two days ago."

"Shut-up," she hisses, pissed at him and frustrated once again by her own stupidity.

Angelus steps forward again, brushing a quick kiss against her forehead. She wipes it away with her hand, confused by the oddly gentle gesture.

"I have some things I need to do in town. If you want to join me..." he trails off.

"No way in hell."

He chuckles. "Okay, then I will see you later, lover."

She waves at him sarcastically and then takes careful steps in the opposite direction of his exit. She isn't going to let him see how much this encounter has gotten to her. She isn't going to cry about it this time. She is going to remain strong; it is all that she can do.

* * *

Buffy yawns tiredly, stretching her well-worked limbs. She spent all morning in the basement gym, and then after showering, had a small lunch. She doesn't have much else to do now though with most everyone gone for the day, so she decides to do some sunbathing.

She is just taking a step up the stairs when a door slams behind her, and curious, Buffy turns around to see Xander making his way toward her.

"Xander what are you doing here? I thought you and Anya were double dating with Willow and Oz…"

Buffy trails off at the look on his face and blanches. He is furious, and that can mean only one thing. _He knows._

"What the hell do you think you're doing with Angelus?" he demands, stopping a couple of feet away from her. His hands are clenched at his sides, and it looks like it is taking everything in him to remain still.

"How did you -"

Xander cuts her off. "Yesterday, I came back because I forgot something and I saw you two in the hall. He had his tongue down your throat, and it sure as hell looked like you were enjoying it. Jesus, Buffy."

"I -" _didn't sleep with him, _Buffy starts, but she did. Maybe not yesterday, but she has already done it once since he has arrived and once is enough for her guilty conscience to prevent any defense from leaving her mouth.

"You're in love with him?"

"No," Buffy says quickly, truthfully. She shakes her head vehemently. "I don't know - I don't know what I feel. The situation is complicated, Xander."

She's on the verge of tears now, and she's quickly starting to lose the tenuous control she has.

"Xander, please," she says when he turns away from her. His disgust for her is evident in the tense lines of shoulders, in the vein pulsing from his neck. He turns back around and locks his furious gaze with Buffy's hurt one.

"That wasn't supposed to be a hard question, Buffy! You were supposed to just say, 'No.' You're not supposed to be confused. You're not supposed to be fucking him like a goddamn whore! You're the one that said we needed to stay away from him. Was that because he could hurt us or because you didn't want us to find out about your little affair?"

His words are like a slap to the face. Buffy stands there, staring at him in shock. That he could doubt her so much, that he could hate her so much. The tears begin to fall freely from her eyes, cascading down her cheeks.

"What the hell is going on in here?" Angelus says, entering the room. Buffy jumps; she didn't hear him approaching. Buffy's eyes shoot to him, and she can't, she just can't do this right now. She turns and flees the room.

* * *

Angelus watches as Buffy runs out of the room, following her with his eyes until she has disappeared up the stairs. When he can no longer hear her footsteps, he switches his attention to Xander. The boy glares at him with undisguised hatred. Angelus shakes his head and scoffs inwardly. The boy is just so dumb; it is hard to imagine how he has lived this long.

Angelus is once again struck by how different Hank Summers' leadership must have been. It is only that thought that prevents Angelus from beating the shit out of Xander yet. The boy has had different dealings before; Angelus is going to show him what a true leader does to those that step out of line.

"Jealousy, I can live with. Everybody is always a little jealous of me. What I can't tolerate is someone hurting my girl."

Xander steps forward like the dumbass he is. He stands at his full height as if that will intimidate Angelus. Angelus is the alpha here, and he is going to have to prove that to the boy once and for all.

"Your girl?" Xander says. "Your girl? Buffy will never be your girl. She may be sleeping with you, but soon she'll realize -"

Angelus is the one to step forward this time, putting himself almost chest to chest with Harris. "Soon she'll realize what, _boy_? That you're the right man for her?"

Angelus growls, the anger racing through him at the thought of Buffy and Xander together. "Buffy will be mine, is already mine. _My_ mate."

"Your mate?" Xander has the nerve to actually laugh in Angelus' face. "I bet Buffy would disagree."

Angelus grabs Xander by the throat and throws him clear across the room. Xander slams into the wall. Angelus can hear the bones shatter on impact, and it brings a grin to his face. Angelus casually walks over to the fallen beta. Crouching down to Xander's height, Angelus drags him up by the collar so that he can look Harris in the eyes. Xander looks at him dazedly, his expression a mixture of fear and pain.

"I could kill you right now," Angelus says. He entertains the thought for a long moment before sense comes back to him. "I could kill you, however, you're not worth the time it would take to wipe your bloody smear off the floor."

Xander whimpers when Angelus tugs him hard and slams his head against the wall yet again. The smell of blood is ripe in the air, and Angelus relishes it. The boy would live and he would learn from this; Angelus is certain of that.

"Next time you talk to my mate or me that way again, you will wish you were dead. Do you understand me?"

Xander's response is a hacking cough. Angelus considers slamming his head against the wall again, but he wants Xander conscious. Instead, he grips Harris' collar tighter and repeats, "Do you understand me, boy?"

"Yes," Xander replies, voice strangled.

"Good." Angelus releases him and stands up. He is done with the boy. Now, it was time for something more pleasurable. He crosses the room and follows Buffy's scent up the stairs.

* * *

She hears the fight from her room. One part of her wants to run and help Xander, but the angry and hurt part, the dark part of her could care less. _He deserves it_, she thinks viciously, and the dark part of her wins out.

She stays in her bed, alone in the dark and waits. Sure enough, Angelus arrives minutes later. He opens her door, entering her room, and shuts the door behind him.

"You hurt him," she says. It is a statement, not a question.

Angelus shrugs and leans back against the door jamb. "Not much. He can walk, and that's much less than he deserved."

He pauses, looking her over. His careful perusal of her makes Buffy flinch. The way he looks at her sometimes...it terrifies her. She has never had anyone look at her that way, so possessively. It is all-consuming, his looks, and gods she doesn't know how she is supposed to feel when he does that.

"He hurt you," Angelus says, breaking the silence.

Buffy laughs bitterly. "You would know, wouldn't you?"

Angelus' frown is clear even in the darkness of the room. Suddenly, Buffy feels furious, disgusted with herself and him.

"I won't be your whore," she says and sits up fully in her bed. Angelus pushes himself to a stand and approaches the bed, stopping just at the foot of it. Buffy wishes she could say that she doesn't feel threatened, but she does, she does, she does. She puts on her most defiant face though and lets the anger give her strength. She doesn't look away when he pins her with his dark gaze.

"I admit," he says," a ready and willing Buffy certainly has its appeal. I like you better when you fight me though. It makes the sex hotter and my victory all the more satisfying."

Buffy glares at him as she reaches her breaking point. She is on her feet before she can think to stop herself.

"I am not something you can win," she says. She slaps him across the face hard enough to leave a mark and shoves him away.

He takes two steps back, head ducked away from her. When he looks at her again, Buffy realizes her mistake.

"I beg to differ, lover," he says, voice husky with undisguised lust. Buffy's treacherous body reacts to the sound, a slow heat beginning to work its way through her. Following his earlier motion, she takes two steps back. He follows.

"I don't want to," she says vehemently, "I don't want you."

He doesn't respond except to continue his steady approach towards her. Buffy keeps walking backwards until she can't anymore. Pressed up against the wall, Buffy has nowhere to go when Angelus takes advantage of her the way he has done so many times before. He crowds around her so she can't escape. Buffy's heart races, and the heat pulsing through her is already starting to drive her crazy.

She shakes her head and closes her eyes, repeating, "I don't want you." Who she is trying to convince, him or herself, she doesn't know.

She doesn't open her eyes as she feels him lean down nor does she open her eyes when his lips press against hers. She can't look at him, can't acknowledge the reality of her situation. He is being gentle, too gentle, his mouth scattering soft kisses along her own. She can feel the tears building up behind her eyelids. She is betrayed by her own stupid body and her own stupid head. She doesn't just want him, she has grown to need him in a way that leaves her breathless. There is a feeling inside of her that she just can't shake, the feeling that _this_ is right.

Buffy gasps against his lips as the realization that she is giving in to him smacks her in the face. She is giving in, more than she did before; she only gave him her body, now she is giving him so much more. She fists her hands in his shirt to push him away, only her hands won't move beyond that. What she wants is to pull him closer. What she wants is to push him away.

What she wants...she doesn't know.

Angelus pulls his mouth off her own, and Buffy, despairing, begs, "I can't. Please don't...I can't..."

"Yes you can," he says simply. Buffy sobs as he returns to kissing her. His mouth moves over her bare neck and shoulders, sucking on the sensitive skin.

She doesn't know what makes him stop, but he curses and pulls away. It isn't until she hears his footsteps cross the room and the door slam open and shut that she opens her eyes. She is alone in the room and still she can feel his presence. Her skin feels burned where he kissed her, and her body still wants him as badly as it did moments before.

Slowly, she makes her way to her bed, and that night, she cries herself to sleep.

* * *

Angelus curses his own weakness as he enters his bedroom. Buffy's sobs echo in his mind. He knows all too well that she is still crying; he can hear it through the wall separating them. He curses himself again and starts to undress.

She needs to be his and soon. She is driving him crazy. Absolutely insane.

He needs her more than he has ever needed anything in his life. His infatuation with Darla was never this intense. Her he could work out his system; Buffy on the other hand...he doesn't know if he'll ever truly be free of her. She has invaded his very soul, and before meeting her, he wasn't even sure that he had one.

But there is a connection between them he just cannot ignore, and he knows she feels it too. He just needs to find a way to use that.

Angelus finishes undressing and climbs into bed. Buffy is still crying but he can't help but smile as he shuts off the light. Tomorrow, he'll start his campaign to win her heart, mind, body, and soul. Soon, Buffy will truly be his.


	9. Sequel - A Slow Burn - VI

**Title: **A Slow Burn

**Author: **sentbyfools

**Summary: **Sequel to Inevitability. Buffy thinks she can just put her past behind her, but Angelus isn't ready to give up on her yet. He's a wolf that gets what he wants, and what he wants is Buffy.

**Warnings/Rating: **NC-17. dubcon, references to dubcon, angst, minor character death.

**Notes: **Thank you so much to crazymel2008, paris, Brandi Rochon, Abigael Ryan, Princesakarlita411, SMGbest, annekebb4ever, Delia Winters, BrucasBangelBrylan and BloodyPasion for reviewing! I'm so happy you guys are enjoying this. It makes me want to update everyday :D If anything seems off or rushed, please, please let me know!

* * *

_Why? Why didn't he…?_

The question starts to plague her mind as soon as she wakes up. Why didn't Angelus fuck her? It would have been so easy for hi m; she was in no state to fight him.

So why didn't he do it?

Did he actually feel sorry for her? Did he actually have the decency to leave her alone?

Buffy doesn't know what to think.

She gets showered and changed, and she goes down and has breakfast, but still the question nags at her conscious mind. Finally, she decides to confront him.

She goes to Giles' former study, Angelus' office. He is standing with his back to her when she enters and when she shuts the door behind her, she expects him to turn around. He doesn't.

Frowning, she tries to decide how best to say it. Long moments of uncomfortable silence pass between them. She shifts her weight restlessly.

She needs to come right out and ask it. The longer she stays in this room, the more insane she'll become.

"Why didn't you fuck me when I -"

Angelus turns around to look at her, a bored expression on his face. "You mean when you were bawling your eyes out? Hate to break it to you, Buff, but tears don't really do it for me."

"Oh," she says in reply. For a moment, she had actually thought he could be a decent person. A laugh bubbles in her throat. She was kidding herself. Angelus and decency...those things would never cross paths.

She glances at Angelus to see him giving her a weird look. She starts to turn to walk away, but the conversation isn't over, not yet, so she turns back to face him.

"You're a prick," she says, "And I know that doesn't bother you, but it feels good to say."

She smiles to herself. Now, she can leave.

"Wait," he says, stopping her in her tracks. She could ignore him, but she doesn't know what he'll do if she does. One of the cons of living with a psychopath - she never can tell what he is going to do.

"I have some business that's going to take me to LA for the weekend. I want you to come with me."

She narrows her eyes at him. "Like I want to go anywhere with you. No."

He smirks at her. "It wasn't a question, lover. Now, start packing."

"I'm not going with you," she says. "Try again."

"This isn't an argument. This isn't even a discussion. You come with me or I make the lives of your family hell."

Buffy gasps even though she should've expected the threat. _Damn him_.

"Fine," she hisses.

"Good," he says. She turns on her heel, eager to stomp out of his office.

"Oh, and make sure you pack something nice to wear."

She flips him off in response. His amused laughter rings through the halls.

* * *

She knows she needs to make the trip downstairs but the memory of Xander's angry expression is stopping her from moving her feet. She can't face him, can't face _them_. Dealing with Angelus is more than enough; dealing with the judgment of her family is too much to ask of her.

She shakes her head and starts to make the trek down the stairs. She can hear her family as she approaches the dining room. They're talking in whispers, and Buffy can't make out their words but that doesn't matter because she already knows who they're talking about.

Buffy enters the room with trepidation in her steps. Her whole family isn't there, but it's Willow, Faith, and Oz which somehow makes it worse than if they were all there.

_They sent representatives_, she thinks idly, _probably because the rest of them have no interest in coming face to face with me._

"You have to stop this," is the first thing out of Willow's mouth.

Buffy closes her eyes, swallowing against the tightness in her throat. "I can't," Buffy replies sadly.

"Why not? You're not in love with him?" Willow says, voice cracking on _"in love."_

Buffy shakes her head negatively. "It isn't that," she says.

"Then what is it? I mean, Buffy he's a monster. Look what he's done to Xander," Willow says pleadingly.

A cold voice inside of her whispers, _he deserved it._ Horrified at herself, Buffy says, "I never wanted that to happen to him. Can't you see? I'm trying to protect you guys."

"By sleeping with him? Yeah, right," Faith says finally, snorting. She glares at Buffy harshly, a look that Buffy has only ever seen reserved for the guys who call Faith out for being promiscuous. Buffy has never thought that the look would be used on her.

Buffy looks around at them all. Oz is giving her a pitying look, and Willow gives her a look of despair. Willow then turns away, leaving the room. The others follow suit, until Buffy is left all alone.

She puts her head in her hands, trying to think of something, anything she can do to make this right. She can't think of anything besides stopping her "relationship" with Angelus, and she can't do that without having someone else get hurt, he has already made that abundantly clear.

She's caught with nowhere to go.

She swallows sharply. She still needs to talk to Giles. _Oh god, Giles._

She walks to his room slowly. She doesn't see anyone else on the way; she doesn't expect to. She expects that they'll be avoiding her like the plague from now on. She supposes that that is more than she deserves for her fuckup.

She knocks on the door of Giles' bedroom softly, half-hoping he won't answer. He does though, and when she sees him, he looks tired and upset.

"We need to talk," she says.

"I know," Giles replies, stepping aside to let her in the room.

"When I was gone for that month, I was -" she starts.

"You were with him?" Giles surmises.

Buffy nods softly. "He captured me. One of his betas attacked me and I defended myself, but he still punished me for invading his territory. He kept me captive for the whole month I was there, and then I...I finally escaped. I thought I was free of him for good. I didn't think - I didn't think he'd come after me. And then we started to - I couldn't tell you guys."

"I'm sorry I never told you. Please don't hate me, too," Buffy says softly, voice cracking.

"I don't hate you, Buffy. I could never -" He takes his glasses off, rubbing them on the hem of his shirt. Slowly, he puts them back on.

Stronger this time, he says, "I could never hate you, Buffy. I just don't understand what you're doing, _why_ you're doing what you're doing with Angelus."

Buffy fingers the belt loops on her jeans. "Because I have to."

Giles looks at her confusion. "Have to? Is he -" The look of confusion turns to fury. "I'll kill him."

Giles starts to stomp across the room. Buffy stops him with a hand. "No! Giles, you can't and I mean, it's not like that, not really. It's complicated."

"There is nothing complicated about it Buffy. If he is forcing himself on you, then he does not deserve to live."

Buffy closes her eyes. She takes a deep breath and says, "He's not forcing me. He thinks...he's blackmailing me in a way, but I want to...with him, I can't help it. I want to even though I don't want to. Like I said, I can't really explain. Just, trust me, I'm doing what I have to do, what I ..._want_ to do."

Admitting that aloud makes the reality of it truly sink in for the first time. She wants Angelus to the point that she would risk the love of her family for him. She _wants _him. Not just the wolf, but the girl as well. There is something seriously wrong with her.

And it isn't like she has forgotten all the horrible things that he has done to her, and she isn't misinterpreting them as good things like she would if this were Stockholm Syndrome. No, she wants him despite those things. Her body craves him, and no matter how hard she tries, she can't make it stop.

"I do trust you, Buffy," Giles says softly. "I love you like you were my own, so you must understand how I worry. You don't know what Angelus is capable of."

"Oh, I think I do. I don't need the back story to tell me what he is capable of. Lucky me, I got to experience it firsthand," Buffy says. She opens her eyes. Giles has stepped closer to her and by the time the first tears start to fall, his arms are already wrapped around her.

"It's okay," he says soothingly. "It's okay."

She sobs until she has no tears left to cry. When she has composed herself, she says, "I need to pack."

Giles looks at her with confusion. "Pack? Where are you going? Buffy, you don't need to leave -"

Buffy waves her hands in the air, cutting him off. "It isn't that. He's, um, making me go to LA with him this weekend."

Giles' expression turns horrified. Buffy rushes to reassure him.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. He won't hurt me," Buffy says, lying through her teeth. She knows she hasn't told Giles the whole story. She hasn't told him about the tortures she had to endure, the way Angelus hurt her. She can't ever let him know that. Giles would die trying to kill Angelus, and Buffy can't lose him, can't have his blood on her hands. She has already cost him his freedom; she can't cost him his life as well.

No, she can't ever tell him. She has to keep him safe and the only way to do that is to keep him in the dark.

"Buffy, are you sure?"

Buffy gives him the best smile that she can muster. "Positive," she says. He still looks at her disbelievingly, but there is also a resignation to his gaze and he doesn't question her any longer. She gives him another hug, and without waiting for him to say anything more, leaves the room.

Packing takes longer than Buffy expected, and she is glad to do it. The menial chore is enough to take her mind off her problems, if only for the little while that it takes to complete it. She then sets about cleaning her room and washing her clothes because it is something to do and the working leaves her tired enough that when she lays down to take a nap, she sleeps without dreaming.

* * *

They leave that afternoon. Angelus knocks on Buffy's door, waking her from her nap. Startled, it takes a while for her to remember the events of the past few days. When she does, she wishes she hadn't.

Groaning, she opens the door. "What do you want?" she demands with a glare.

"We're leaving in ten," he says, ignoring her anger. "Are you ready?"

Buffy is tempted to lie and say no, but what would be the point? Delaying it will probably only make him more annoyed and she can't risk him taking out that annoyance on anyone in her family again, especially because of her.

"I'm ready," she says resignedly.

"You don't have to sound so sad, Buffy. I'm great company," he says.

Buffy snorts. "You wish."

He reaches out to take her hand. Buffy snatches it away, out of his reach.

"Geez, you don't have to be so skittish," he says, studying her carefully. After a long moment, he continues, "Come on, grab your things. I'll be waiting downstairs by the car."

She nods at him and doesn't turn away until he has walked down the hall. She is grabbing her things when there is another knock at her door.

"What now?" she asks, annoyed as she reopens her door.

"Oh," she says when she realizes that it isn't Angelus, but Willow standing in the doorway.

"Giles said you were leaving with Angelus," Willow says softly.

"Yeah, I – it isn't like it seems," she says, hoping her friend understands.

"I know. I'm sorry for yelling at you," Willow says.

Buffy's eyes widen in surprise. Composing herself before she starts to cry again, she says, "It's okay. I know that what I'm doing is wrong, I really do. It's just -"

"You don't have to explain it," Willow says as if she wishes Buffy wouldn't. Buffy shuts her mouth, and waits for Willow to continue. "We're just worried about you. He told Xander you were his mate."

Buffy shudders. "Don't take anything he says as the truth. I'm not his anything except his …"

"Bed partner?" Willow offers.

Buffy smiles weakly. "That's the nice way of putting it."

Willow gives her a weak smile in return. "I love you, Buffy. Please just take care of yourself."

"I will," Buffy says, trying to reassure her. "I promise."

Willow reaches out to give Buffy a hug. Buffy steps into the embrace. They hug for a long time. Finally, Buffy pulls away.

"I have to go," she says. "He's waiting for me."

"Okay," Willow says. They stare at each other awkwardly for a moment and then Willow says, "I'll see you when you get back, and then we'll really talk."

Buffy nods. Willow walks away down the hall and Buffy goes back to getting her things. When she goes downstairs, Angelus is exactly where he says he would be, waiting by the side of the car. He looks good, really good, and Buffy can almost pretend that he is this loving, caring boyfriend waiting to take her out on a date.

"Finally. Jesus, Buffy, you said you were ready," he says gruffly and the image is shattered, replaced by the reality of his nature. Angelus isn't loving or caring, and this isn't a date, it is a duty.

"I didn't take that long," she snaps at him. "You're exaggerating."

He studies her with the same look in his eye that he had earlier. She expects him to yell at her, but instead he walks around the car and opens the door for her. Surprised, she gets in without a word, leaving him to put her bags in the trunk.

_He's so impossible to read,_ she thinks as she sits in the car, waiting for him to take them away. He gets in and takes off down the driveway in silence.


	10. Sequel - A Slow Burn - VII pt 1

**Title: **A Slow Burn

**Author: **sentbyfools

**Summary: **Sequel to Inevitability. Buffy thinks she can just put her past behind her, but Angelus isn't ready to give up on her yet. He's a wolf that gets what he wants, and what he wants is Buffy.

**Warnings/Rating: **NC-17. dubcon, references to dubcon, angst, minor character death.

**Notes: **Thank you so much to Guest, Brandi Rochon, Abigael Ryan, Princesakarlita411, SMGbest, Delia Winters, and xxdawnbreakerxx for reviewing! This is a two-part chapter, next part should be up tomorrow or Tuesday depending. If anything seems off or rushed, please, please let me know!

* * *

They don't drive to the hotel like Buffy expects. Instead, they drive to an expensive looking apartment building. Buffy looks at the building carefully before stepping out of the car. It looks private and secluded, two things that Buffy does not want when it comes to Angelus. He smiles at her when he has gotten their bags out of the trunk and Buffy rewards him with a glare.

"Come on," he says. "We're on the top floor."

Buffy follows him into the building and into the elevator. The man at the desk nods at Angelus as they enter but otherwise doesn't acknowledge their presence. Buffy sighs. There'd be no help there if she needed it.

They reach the top floor and Angelus unlocks the door and leads her into a gorgeous apartment. Angelus pulls her off into a side hall and then leads her into what is undoubtedly his bedroom.

Angelus drops Buffy's stuff off in his bedroom. "You'll sleep in here with me."

She rolls her eyes, knowing that arguing with him would be a waste of breath. Although, she makes it clear that whatever fantasies he has will have to remain that, and says, "I'm not going to fuck you."

"By the end of this weekend..." he says, trailing off as if distracted. His expression blanks and he waves his hand at her dismissively. "You can check out the rest of the apartment, but if you leave, you will be sorry."

"You're all threats," Buffy mutters.

"I'm more than that. You know that very well," he replies. Buffy curses herself for speaking aloud and is rewarded with a chuckle from Angelus.

She decides to take him up on his offer to get out of his way and exits the room. The penthouse isn't as big as his hotel at all, but it's big enough for a family of five. There are three bedrooms in addition to the master bedroom and two bathrooms plus the study, the living room, and the kitchen. It's huge for an apartment, and Buffy once again wonders how much money Angelus actually has. Even her father's successful business ventures had never brought in enough money for something like this. Not that he would've bought something like this. Her father was nothing like Angelus. He had no need for the flashy; all he cared about was his pack. Buffy feels the pang of missing him all too strongly as she looks around the apartment.

It isn't long before she finds herself in Angelus' study. He has made his way there as well. He is seated at his desk and Buffy, instead of taking a seat, sits right on his desk. Her point is to annoy him, and it works.

"I'm trying to get ready here, Buffy. Not that your company isn't welcome - it always is - but you're distracting me from what I need to do before we go shopping."

"You're taking me shopping?" she asks, surprised. He hadn't mentioned anything like that when he ordered her to come with him.

"You need a dress for dinner," he says. He rolls his shoulders back, trying to get the tension out of them. Buffy watches him, mesmerized by the lines of his shoulders, the way he looks almost kind when his eyes are closed ...She curses herself for the fifth time that day. She shouldn't be distracted by Angelus at all. _He hurt you, remember self? _She groans and waits for him to continue. When he opens his eyes, he pins her with a look that makes Buffy want to simultaneously run away and move in closer.

"With you sitting on my desk like that, I can't help but imagine making love to you on it."

The silence after he says that is so complete that Buffy can hear the ticking of the clock in the next room.

"No, no, no," she says, "No."

"What?" he asks, gifting her with a smile. She can't even look at him. Something is stirring inside her at his words, and she wants it to stop.

"Don't say that," she grits out. "Making love, don't say it. You -"

She can't get the words out.

"Would you prefer I say that I want to spread you out across my desk and fuck you until you can't remember your own name?"

"No - yes, _yes_."

Buffy clears her throat and clears her head and then continues, "Don't talk about making love to me. You don't know what the word means."

"Right," he says, disbelief in his tone. _Does he honestly think...liking someone is one thing, love is..._

"You seriously think that you're capable of love?"

He doesn't answer because the phone rings. He picks it up, eying Buffy the whole time.

"Yeah," he says into the receiver. "Yeah, alright."

His expression shifts. He furrows his eyebrows in annoyance and says, "I heard you the first time, Wes. I'll deal with Council."

He hangs up the phone. Still eying her, he starts to dial another number. Curious, Buffy thinks to ask him about why he needs to deal with the Council, but he finishes dialing the number before she can ask him.

It is obvious when the person on the other side of the line picks up. Angelus' expression brightens, a smile curling over his lips.

"Lori, it's Angelus. We have an appointment for today. I'm going to be coming by a little earlier, I hope it isn't a problem."

Buffy rolls her eyes at his faux politeness. If only this Lori knew the real Angelus.

"Okay, Buffy and I will see you in a few."

Buffy perks up at the sound of her name, raising an eyebrow at him in question. When he hangs up the phone, he says, "We're going to get your dress now. Grab anything you need now."

"I'm not a dog you can just boss around," Buffy grits out, jumping off the top of his desk anyway. She might as well get this over with. Angelus will make her go even if he has to drag her out of the apartment kicking and screaming. He'd probably enjoy that, the monster. Buffy is better off going of her own volition.

"Yeah, but you'd look great in a collar," he replies with a smirk, giving her neck a lingering glance.

Not wanting him to get any ideas, she exits the room quickly. It takes her a moment to realize that he never answered her question about him being capable of love. _It isn't that important_, she decides, and focuses on thinking of what the evening might hold in store for her.

"What kind of party is this?" she calls out at him across the rooms separating them.

She doesn't receive a response. Frustrated, she finishes packing her purse quickly and goes back to the study.

"What kind of party is this?" she asks him, tone sharper this time.

"I heard you the first time," he says, tone cut with amusement. "And it's a meeting of business associates, my business associates."

"What do you even do?" Buffy asks. It is a question that has been bugging her for a while. Angelus is obviously rich, but how he makes his money is completely unknown.

"I solve problems," he says cryptically.

Buffy rolls her eyes. "If you're trying to say that you kill people, you can just come out and say it. It doesn't surprise me anyhow."

Angelus lets out a laugh. "Not all problems can be solved with murder. Some require a more delicate touch."

"What like kidnapping people for ransom? Or torture?"

"You think so highly of me," he drawls, shaking his head.

"I'm just speaking from experience here," Buffy says, hoping that her words hurt him although she is doubtful they would. Angelus has never shown even an ounce of guilt for what he did to her, so why did she expect any now?

"You can't tell me all your experiences have been that bad," he says. His voice is much lower than it was before and it brings to mind things Buffy would much rather not think about.

Buffy blanches, stutters out, "Yes, they all have."

"Liar," he says good-naturedly.

He stands up from his desk and grabs her by the hand, tugging her out the room with him. She shakes her hand free as soon as she is able, glaring at him. He laughs.

"Come on," he says, crooking a finger behind him for her to follow. He leads her to his car, and thankfully the drive to the store is made in silence.

_Lori_ meets them at the door. She smiles brightly as Angelus takes her hand and kisses it, but her happiness diminishes when she notices Buffy. _Jesus, _Buffy thinks, _she is actually jealous of me._ Buffy wants to laugh at that. No one should be jealous of her.

_Or maybe Angelus is only cruel to the people that matter to him._

She doesn't know where the thought comes from, but it makes sense, almost too much sense. She shivers. Buffy matters to Angelus.

She glances at him to see him smiling down at her. _I matter to him_. What that could possibly mean for her, she doesn't know.

She gives Lori a nervous smile. The woman smiles back at her, but it doesn't reach her eyes.

"Come this way. Angelus has already picked out some colours and styles he thought might look good on you. He has great taste," she says.

_Right, of course the controlling ass would choose my clothes for me._

For some reason, Buffy is eager to displease, so she says, "I'd like to look around myself before I get to his suggestions."

The woman smile falters but only for a moment. She looks to Angelus who nods at her.

"Alright then," she says.

Buffy grins at her. She cast a surreptitious glance at Angelus. He is grinning as well, and Buffy frowns. She wanted to annoy him, not please him.

She pulls away from his side and walks around the designer boutique. The dresses are all stunning, and Buffy doesn't even want to think about how much it might cost to buy one of them.

"Do you see anything you like?" Lori asks, sliding up beside her.

"Um," Buffy says. Lori starts tapping her foot impatiently.

"Can I look around for a bit first?"

"On my own," she adds.

"Go ahead," Angelus says from where he has seated himself on one of the plush white sofas by the changing room. "When you're ready to see what I picked out, just let Lori know."

Buffy rolls her eyes. _So not happening._

But half an hour later, she still hasn't found anything that particularly suits her so she bites her pride and goes over to Lori.

"Show me what he chose," she says resignedly.

Lori takes her to a room inside the changing room where a tray of dresses are lined up against the wall. Buffy stares at them uncomfortably. She doesn't want to think about how Angelus knows her body and her taste so well.

"If you need any help, let me know," Lori says in a town that says the exact opposite.

Buffy waits for her to leave and when she does, Buffy goes over to the tray. She flips through it, amazed by all the gorgeous dresses and feeling unnerved by Angelus' choices. Midway through, her eyes catch sight of a black dress. It is a long strapless gown with black gemmed detailing. It is lovely and is almost enough to make Buffy forget who is buying it for her and why he is doing it.

She goes to try it on. When she leaves the stall, she stands in front of the tall mirror, feeling decidedly uncomfortable in her own skin. The dress really is beautiful and it suits her well, but the dress isn't the problem. It is Buffy, it is the situation, the fact that she is spending a weekend with Angelus as his date. She wants to cry.

Instead, she tries not to feel self-conscious as she exits the room, but then Angelus looks at her and that is all she feels.

"Stunning," he murmurs.

"You're wearing this dress tonight," he states, looking over her hungrily.

"But -"

With one look, he shuts down her argument. _I'm doing this for my family, to protect my family,_ she reminds herself. That he thinks she's beautiful has nothing to do with it.

Nothing at all.

* * *

When they get back to the hotel, Angelus spends the rest of the day in his office. He is in a good mood so he lets her go out by herself with the contingency, of course, that she be dressed and ready for dinner by 7:30.

She is, and she looks just as delectable in the dress as she did in the store. In fact, she looks even better and he considers skipping the party altogether as he imagines what she might be wearing underneath the dress. However, he has more planned for her than just fucking her this weekend, so he controls himself and says, "You look beautiful," instead of, "Dress. Off. Now," like he wants to.

"Thank you," she says, giving him a look of confusion.

"Ready to go?" he asks.

"Sure," she replies, and he laughs at the way she doesn't sound sure at all.


	11. Sequel - A Slow Burn - VII pt 2

**Title: **A Slow Burn

**Author: **sentbyfools

**Summary: **Sequel to Inevitability. Buffy thinks she can just put her past behind her, but Angelus isn't ready to give up on her yet. He's a wolf that gets what he wants, and what he wants is Buffy.

**Warnings/Rating: **NC-17. dubcon, references to dubcon, angst, minor character death.

**Notes: **Thank you so much to ba2006, BrandiIndigo, Abigael Ryan, Princesakarlita411, SMGbest, Delia Winters, annekebb4ever and paris for reviewing! I'm so sorry for the wait. I had a bit of trouble with this second half, but I hope you enjoy it. If anything seems off or rushed, please, please let me know!

* * *

The party is less of a party and more like a ball. Buffy freezes when the limo driver arrives at the place and she sees the size of the house – larger than her mansion and Angelus' hotel – the guards at the door, and the many gorgeously dressed people entering it. Angelus so did not prepare her for this. She turns in her seat to look at him.

"I thought this was going to be something small," she grouches at him, pinning him with a death glare.

He smiles back at her. "I never said it was. A lot of people are going to be here tonight. Gregory likes big formal affairs. I thought you would have assumed that was what this would be when we went dress shopping."

"Why would I make that assumption?" Buffy hisses at him.

He rolls his neck, giving her a bored look. "Buffy, why are you even arguing with me about this? You're already here and it isn't like you can leave, so I suggest you just accept this for what it is, put a smile on, and get out of the car."

She huffs. After taking a deep, calming breath, she unbuckles her seatbelt and allows him to open the door for her.

"It won't be so bad," he says. He comes to a stand just behind her and wraps her smaller hand in his. She lets him, feeling foolish for being so nervous and simultaneously wanting the little comfort his presence offers her.

"Right," she says with very little certainty.

They enter the house. The guards at the door don't bother to stop them although they stop everyone else. One look from Angelus is enough of an invitation it seems. Buffy twists her hand in his own uncomfortably as he leads her through the long hallway. It isn't that holding his hand is uncomfortable; in fact, it is just the opposite, and that is what makes Buffy uneasy. Holding his hand _feels_ right. She hates her body for its reaction to his touch, hates herself for not resisting him better. She should pull her hand away, but she just can't make herself do it.

_There's something wrong with me,_ she thinks not for the first time. _It's the wolf, it's the wolf, not me._ With that thought, she takes a deep breath and decides not to worry about it for the time being. This is already stressful enough without her worrying over the exact nature of her feelings towards Angelus.

They enter the room and for a while they spend time just chatting with people. Angelus introduces her to a myriad of people whose names she doesn't remember moments after meeting them. After a while, Buffy wanders off to get a drink.

No one asks her if she is old enough to be drinking. No one seems to care. She grabs a glass of what she supposes is champagne and gulps it down, trying to calm her nerves.

She hands the waiter her empty glass and then looks around the room for Angelus. She feels uncomfortable here, at this party, in this dress, and even the familiar, aggravating presence of Angelus is better than standing around all alone. It doesn't take her long to find him. He is talking to a handsome man around his age. They're both smiling, but something just seems off about the conversation. Buffy shrugs the weird feeling away.

Angelus seems to notice her gaze on him. Buffy makes her way back over towards them at Angelus' beckoning motion, ignoring the way it makes her feel like a pet being called by their master. She isn't anybody's pet, especially not Angelus'.

"My date, Buffy Summers," Angelus says to the man when he has her pressed against his side.

"Buffy, this is Lindsey McDonald."

She grins nervously, feeling on edge for reasons she can't identify. "It's nice to meet you," she says, extending her hand.

"Likewise," he says, but Buffy can read what he really means in his eyes. Angelus has given her that look enough times. He takes her offered hand and holds it for just a bit too long. She can feel Angelus stiffen behind her, and when Lindsey lets go, Buffy takes an almost imperceptible step back so that she is pressed closer to Angelus. It isn't that she doesn't know how to handle herself in a situation like this or that she needs Angelus' help. She would just prefer to not be in the situation at all.

"I see now why Angelus has been keeping you all to himself," Lindsey says with a grin.

"Right," Buffy says, trying to keep her discomfort out of her voice.

"Um, Angel, honey," she turns to Angelus and says, plastering on a smile and her most saccharine voice, "I don't want to keep you from anything if you're busy, but I, I'd really like to dance."

Smooth as always, he replies with a smile to match hers, "Whatever you want."

He turns to Lindsey and says, "I'll see you around, Lindsey. Tell Nest I send my regards," and doesn't give the man time to respond as he leads Buffy across the room to the dance floor.

"If I never have to see him again," she mutters to herself, "It'll be too soon."

She turns her attention to Angelus. "We really don't have to dance. I was just trying to get away from him."

"I saw you eyeing the floor earlier. You want to, and tonight, I aim to please," he says.

_Of course, he had to notice that, _she thinks. She wishes she minded more than she does. She really does want to dance, and if that means settling for Angelus as a dance partner, she'll just have to suffer through it.

He tugs her along until they're at the center of the floor. They're playing a slow song, and when Angelus takes her in his arms and leads her to the beat, it feels so right that Buffy almost forgets how very wrong it truly is. She almost forgets that it is Angelus that she is dancing with. Angelus who kidnapped her and groomed her until she ended up fucking him. Angelus who stole her pack and threatened the lives of her family. Angelus who told her she was beautiful and kissed her breathless.

She groans and tries to pull away, but stops fighting when his grip on her waist tightens.

"You called me Angel," he murmurs into her ear.

"I was trying to make it clear to the man that I..." she trails off, realizing what she had been about to say. _...belong to you_ - she didn't belong to him. She belonged to no one but herself.

"That you...?" he says, looking at her curiously.

"That I nothing. It doesn't mean anything," she says, trying to change the subject.

"Meant something to me," he says, but doesn't elaborate as to what. Buffy is certain that she doesn't want to know.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" he asks her.

Buffy isn't sure whether to be truthful or not. After a long moment of his question being met with silence, he says, "I'll take that as a no."

He regards her with a thoughtful look. Finally, he says, "Tomorrow we'll do something fun, something that you'll definitely enjoy."

Buffy snorts. "So you're not going to be there, I gather? Because the only way I'll enjoy it is with you gone."

Angelus fights back a smile, although he can't keep the amusement completely out of his expression. "I'll be there, and you'll still enjoy it."

"Okay," she says disbelievingly. "Whatever you say."

She doesn't try to argue that he should take her home. That is a fight that she knows she won't win, and besides, the longer she keeps him away from her family, the safer they'll be. Her safety is another matter entirely, though so far, he hasn't made any threats against her, which she is surprised by. In fact, he has been too nice to her really, and save for his earlier comments about fucking her, he hasn't really done anything to make her feel unsafe.

She squints her eyes at him, staring him down. He gives her a curious look when he notices, but doesn't say anything.

_What are you up to?_ she thinks because there has to be something in it for him. This niceness, it isn't like him.

_He saved me,_ Fred's voice suddenly says in her head. Okay, so maybe he does have a nice side. To show it to Buffy though, she thinks again that there _must_ be something in it for him.

"What are you thinking?" he asks as he spins her so that she is pressed flush against him.

"I'm thinking that this is way too close for comfort," Buffy says, wriggling away from him.

He sighs heavily. "How many times are we gonna go through this?"

"Go through what?" Buffy asks, faking ignorance.

"This game where you pretend that you don't want me - Buffy, it's getting really old and I'm tired of playing. I want you, you want me, why must this always be a fight?"

Buffy takes a deep breath. "I don't want to talk about this here. Can't we just...dance?" she finishes lamely.

He chuckles and says, "We can do that."

They dance for a long time. Buffy forgets about her worries and the wrongness of the situation and just allows herself to enjoy the feeling of dancing with Angelus. There is no one there to see her fail at fighting him, no one to make her feel like shit for feeling the way that she does - no one except herself, and she suppresses the chastising voice easily enough.

Finally, Buffy grows hungry and she leads him off the dance floor towards the food.

"Hungry?" he asks.

"Obviously," she replies. "We didn't have dinner."

They reach the table, and Buffy grabs a plate. Angelus touches her elbow and says, "Need any help with that?"

"I think I can manage to get my own food," she says. "I'm not a child."

Angelus gives her a onceover that makes Buffy shiver. "You most certainly are not."

Buffy goes back to dishing food onto her plate.

"Angelus," a sweet, womanly voice calls out behind her. Buffy rolls her eyes. _It's probably another one of the insane women in love with him._

"I didn't expect to see you here, Darla," he says, sounding genuinely surprised.

"You know how much I enjoy surprising you," Darla replies.

Buffy turns around to look at the person Angelus is speaking to. _Wow, she's pretty_, is Buffy's first thought. A flare of jealousy rushes through her. She pushes it back, horrified by her feelings. Composing herself, she smiles at _Darla_.

"Who's this?" Darla asks Angelus.

"I'm Buffy," Buffy says before Angelus can respond. She leaves it at just her name, not wanting to put words to the relationship between her and Angelus.

"Bunny, what an…interesting name," Darla says before turning back to Angelus and dismissing Buffy's presence.

"Buffy," Buffy corrects sharply, annoyed. She looks up to see Angelus smiling at her. There is approval in his gaze. Buffy isn't shocked anymore by how her emotions continue to betray her, but she is frustrated by how warm his approval makes her feel.

_I don't need his approval,_ she reminds herself. _I don't need his anything._

_But you want it, don't you? _

She shakes her head to realize that Darla and Angelus have continued the conversation without her. Buffy turns back to her plate of food, but she listens carefully. Who is this Darla exactly and how does she know Angelus?

"Does Nest know that you're here?"

Darla's voice turns into a growl as she replies, "Nest doesn't control what I do or don't do."

_Oh,_ Buffy thinks, realizing that Darla's growl wasn't entirely human. _Werewolf, she's a werewolf. Probably a member of Angelus' former pack._ Buffy grins around the piece of shrimp that she pops into her mouth. The night is totally starting to look up.

"Really now?" Angelus asks, clearly skeptical.

Darla shrugs her shoulders and says, "I didn't come here to discuss Nest. I came to speak to you about what you think you're doing. "

Angelus sighs. "I'm not interested in discussing that with you."

"I -" Darla starts.

"_Buffy_ and I are trying to enjoy our evening. Now I suggest you leave before I make you," Angelus says.

Darla's eyes widen and she looks at Buffy. _If looks could kill_…Buffy thinks.

Darla walks away and disappears into the crowd. When Buffy is sure that Darla is out of earshot, she turns to Angelus and asks, "Who was that?"

Angelus smiles. "An old acquaintance."

"She seemed like more than that," Buffy says. She is hinting at Darla's other nature but Angelus doesn't take it that way.

Grinning even wider, he says, "Jealous, lover?"

"Not at all," Buffy says. His answering grin says that he doesn't believe her.

"Come on," Angelus says, indicating that she should follow him. There are some more people I want to talk to."

"I have to come why?" Buffy says. She quirks an eyebrow at him, and looks longingly towards the array of seating.

"Because I want you to," he says simply and starts to walk off, and despite her aching feet, Buffy follows without argument.

* * *

"So was this productive for you?" Buffy asks when they're alone in the limo back to his penthouse. She is genuinely curious. It felt like all night long all he'd been doing was introducing her to people and chatting about nothing at all. The only person that he'd had any interesting conversation with was Darla, and Buffy puts that down as something to definitely look into.

"More productive than you know," he says. He inclines his head towards her and narrows his eyes, studying her. Buffy isn't sure what he is looking for, but he seems to find it because his face relaxes moments later. He turns his attention back to watching the city roll by outside the window.

"Did you have fun?" he asks.

Buffy shrugs her shoulders. What was the point in lying? "Honestly, eventually, I did. Except my feet hurt from walking around in these heels."

"I could rub them for you," he offers. He glances back at her.

"Thanks but no, thanks," she says, eliciting a laugh from him.

"You'll remember that in the morning, lover."

"What else will I remember in the morning?" she says softly. She is asking herself the question but he obviously hears her because he unbuckles his seat belt and slides across the seat until he is pressed against her.

"This," he says. He captures her lips with his own.

"Oh," she moans against him. Her hands travel up his sides while his do the same, trailing down the sides of her dress until they are curved around her hips.

"We need to get you out of this dress," he says when he pulls away from her.

Scandalized, Buffy says, "No, I'm not having sex with you in a car."

He smirks. "I have no intention of fucking you here anyway. We'll save that for another time."

Buffy opens her mouth to argue but is cut off by Angelus mouth covering her own again. Instinctively, she spreads her legs so that he can get closer. The dress doesn't allow much room to move however. She feels a rush of shame when she thinks that Angelus is right - she really needs to get out of this dress.

They arrive at the apartment building not soon enough. Angelus drags her through the entrance and to the elevator so quickly that Buffy barely has a chance to catch her breath. When the door closes behind them, Buffy is thrown against it. Before she can move out of his way, he is pressed up inside her personal space.

"Maybe I don't want to have sex with you," she says, lying through her teeth. She wants to desperately, and at the moment she is having trouble remembering why she shouldn't want to.

"You're lying," he says, swooping down to kiss her. He drags his hand across her cheek carefully and gently grasps her cheeks to pull her closer to him.

Buffy sighs into the softness of the kiss. It doesn't take much to force down the voice telling her she should stop. She doesn't want to think about it anymore. All she wants is for him to touch her.

His hand leaves her cheek and reaches up her side to the hidden zipper on the dress. She moves so that he has better access and gasps at the feeling of the cold air on her heated skin.

Taking the initiative, she slides her fingers up his chest and then begins to unbutton his shirt. As he starts to slide her dress off, she finishes unbuttoning his shirt. She presses her hands against his chest, relishing in the feeling of the hard muscle.

After one final tug, the strapless dress falls down off of her. Buffy kicks her heels off and steps out of the dress.

She reaches down to pick it up. Angelus stops her before she can, and says, "Come on."

Grabbing her by the hand, he leads her to his bedroom. He pushes her down on the bed gently and then moves over her.

"The things I want to do to you..." he says darkly, looking her over with hunger in his gaze. Buffy shivers, but meets his gaze evenly, not daring to look away.

"Damn," he says. He steps away from the bed for the short time it takes for him to remove the rest of his clothing.

Slowly, as Angelus crawls back on top of her, Buffy reaches behind her back to unclip her bra. Angelus hands slide over her breasts and brushes the soft fabric against her hardened nipples. She lets out a sound, not quite a whimper, not quite a moan. She shifts her legs, closing them tightly to try and ease the fire building between them.

"No, baby, no," Angelus says and pries her legs apart with his knee. He slips in between them and lifts her hips so that his cock presses against her panty clad mound. He rubs against her wantonly, and Buffy lets out another noise.

She is breathing through her nose, trying to keep her breathing even, but it isn't working. She is too turned on. She pants and grinds against him as his hands continue to fondle her breasts. Finally, when her body feels like it is on fire, Angelus pulls off her bra all the way and then slides a hand down inside her panties.

He curls his fingers so that they can slip inside of her. His thumb rubs her clit, using her own release for lubrication. She lets out a cry as she reaches her crises, the pleasure shooting through her over and over again.

"Good girl," he says, removing his fingers. He slides them in his mouth and Buffy closes her eyes to the sight of him licking her release off his fingers.

He moves so that he can pull off her panties, and the moves back into his position. For a long moment, all he does is rub against her entrance, sliding his cock up and down her mound. It presses against her clit, sending more jolts of pleasure running through her, building up the fire once again.

He slips inside of her easily. He adjusts his angle so that he can go in deeper and then starts to move inside of her. With every thrust, he slides against her in a way that makes her want to cry out from the pleasure. Buffy bites her lip to keep the sounds at bay.

He leans down over her so that they're pressed chest to chest.

"Your pussy is so wet, so tight for me," he says into her ear, his breath hot against it.

Buffy turns crimson, feeling the blush travel from her face all the way down to her toes. She feels the now familiar beginnings of the flutters of her orgasm start to move through her, and she focuses on that instead of his words.

"If you keep squeezing me like that, I'm not going to last, lover," he says. He kisses her cheek, and then angles his head so he can kiss her mouth.

Buffy doesn't pull away when his mouth moves over her own, needing to kiss him if only to cover up the sounds of her cries as her orgasm washes over her.

Angelus moves over her, leaning back on his knees so that he is sitting upright. He stills inside of her as if waiting. When her orgasm dies down, Buffy moves restlessly against him. Her body aches with a need that, even with her two orgasms, hasn't been satisfied. She starts to push her hips against him in an attempt to make him move, but it doesn't faze him.

Gathering her voice, she says, "Angelus what - why have you stopped?"

"You want me to continue?" he says slyly.

_He wants me to beg him,_ Buffy thinks. _Bastard._

She isn't yet at the point where the ache has built up to the point of needing to beg him, so she holds off as long as possible. Minutes pass by and then finally, Buffy says, "Come on. Just do me already."

Angelus laughs heartily. "Jeez, Buffy, we need to work on your dirty talk."

"No, we don - _oh._"

He starts to move again, slow thrusts that drag along her insides in a way that does nothing to soothe the ache inside of her. She pushes her hips up to meet his thrusts, and slides her hands down his back wantonly. Angelus shifts her so that her heels are pressing against his buttocks. The new angle makes him go even deeper.

"You're a natural at this, lover," he says with some difficulty. Buffy thinks, _I'm doing that to him_, and feels a thrill at the thought of having so much control over him.

She digs her fingers into his back, urging him to go faster. Angelus acquiesces, speeding up his thrusts so that the force of them pushes Buffy back against the bed. She digs her fingers in deeper, breaking the skin. He doesn't seem to mind.

He comes then with a groan. He leans down, covering her with his weight, and continues to thrust softer than before. Buffy moans. She needs more; she is so close.

"Please," she says softly into his ear.

Leaning his body on one arm, he slips the other hand down between their bodies to play with her clit. It is all Buffy needs to come with a strength that leaves her gasping for air.

When she comes down from her high, Angelus has moved off of her. He is stroking her hair softly, brushing the loose strands out of her face.

Suddenly, the image of Xander's disgusted face enters her mind and Buffy immediately regrets what she has done.

She wants to run away. She wants to scream. She wants to cry. She wants this to not be real.

_Why can't I resist him?_ she thinks. _Why is this so hard?_

She wishes she could just disappear.

* * *

Angelus watches as Buffy sits up so that her knees are resting underneath her chin, her hands wrapped around them to pull them against her chest. Angelus doe feels badly for her. It is an odd feeling, out of place from his usual self-obsession, but he goes with it. Sitting up behind her, he touches the length of her spine, sliding his fingers against the curves. She doesn't fall into the touch but nor does she resist it so he counts it as a victory.

"What do you want from me?" she asks, sounding exhausted.

"Is this your 'why me' time?" he replies. "I thought you were better than that."

She stiffens against his touch. "You don't know me. I'm not as ─ whatever you think I am."

"And what do I think you are?" he asks, his tone soft and careful. He is genuinely curious as to her response.

"I don't know," she says sharply. "I can't read your mind."

He sighs and shifts his weight on the bed so that he is closer to her. "Come on, Buffy. You can do better than that."

She turns her head to look at him over her shoulder. There is a sad, defeated look in her eyes that almost takes Angelus aback. It isn't an expression she has ever allowed him to see.

"I'm not as strong as you think I am," she says softly. "I can't handle this. I can't handle you."

The admission infuriates him. He feels the growl building in his throat, and it is hard to keep the fury from his voice as he says, "You're an idiot, Buffy. You've been doing perfectly fine handling me so far."

"Have I?" she says, sounding genuinely surprised.

He rolls his eyes. His anger cools considerably under her soft gaze. _She makes me weak_. He realizes belatedly that he doesn't really mind.

"I wouldn't waste my time with a weakling."

"Oh," she says simply. She closes her eyes and leans back into his touch.

"Time for bed, Buffy. Enough of this 'woe is me, I'm so pathetic' crap. Sentimental conversations like this make my teeth ache," Angelus says, acutely aware of how obviously lacking in annoyance his tone is.

"Okay," Buffy replies. He is glad that she doesn't argue with him. He prefers this soft mood to wanting to kill her. It is much easier on his blood pressure.

Buffy unwraps herself and crawls backwards across the bed until she can rest her head on the pillow beside him. "Why me?" she asks, eyes half closed.

He brushes her hair out of her face as he leans over her. She looks so beautiful here, lying in his bed, and he feels a rush of pleasure at being the only one to see her this way.

"Maybe I like you," he says in response. He presses a kiss to her forehead. She lets out a barely there sigh, and then closes her eyes fully. Content with that, Angelus lies down fully and goes to sleep.


	12. Sequel - A Slow Burn - VII pt 3

**Title: **A Slow Burn

**Author: **sentbyfools

**Summary: **Sequel to Inevitability. Buffy thinks she can just put her past behind her, but Angelus isn't ready to give up on her yet. He's a wolf that gets what he wants, and what he wants is Buffy.

**Warnings/Rating: **NC-17. dubcon, references to dubcon, angst, minor character death.

**Notes: **You guys, I'm so sorry I haven't updated in so long. I've been dealing with major writer's block and a case of the "I think my writing sucks, why is anyone even following me?" Thank you to everyone for your kind reviews and prodding! This chapter is short, but the next one should be longer. Again, I'm sorry for not updating! If anything seems off or rushed, please, please let me know!

* * *

_Maybe I like you. _His words echo in her head when she wakes up.

So he...likes her. She had begun to think he did, but now that she knows for sure, she doesn't know what to do with the information. Should she be scared by it? Probably. Should she be flattered? Definitely not.

So, what to do...

She climbs out of the bed, leaving Angelus' sleeping form to rest beneath the sheets. She takes a moment to consider covering up before deciding that it is dumb to care about her modesty after all the things they've done together. _Besides,_ she thinks, _he's too far gone to notice_.

She crosses the room quickly though and doesn't bother to choose out a specific outfit from her bag; instead she grabs the clothes within closest reach and heads into the bathroom.

Buffy spends long moments staring at herself in the mirror. _Do I look different?_ she asks herself. She feels different, stronger than she was the day before. Yesterday, her whole situation had seemed insurmountable, pointless to fight. Today - well, today, Angelus likes her and although Buffy doesn't know what to do with that yet, she is certain that she can find some way to have that work for her instead of against her.

_I can defeat him - and maybe even manage to come out with some semblance of pride._

Defeating him is still months away though, so she needs to figure out what to do with him until then. The thought makes her inadvertently blush, surprising her by bringing to mind some particularly x-rated images. The shame hits right after - that should definitely not be the first thing to come to mind, but it is and there doesn't seem to be anything she can do to stop it. Since Angelus arrived, she has been fighting with her body's need for him. She has been at war with the wolf, the primal side of her, and she has been fighting a losing battle.

"I want him," she whispers aloud, trying out the words.

Perhaps, she should give in to that side of herself. It isn't like she isn't already being judged for doing so; her family has already made their thoughts clear on the matter. _It could be so easy, just give in_...

She shakes her head in an attempt to clear it. It doesn't help.

She jumps up at the knock on the door. "Y-yes?" she says.

"I'm making breakfast," Angelus says through the door. "Do you want anything in particular?"

Buffy gives the door a quizzical look. _Making breakfast? For her?_

"Um. Whatever you cook is fine," she says.

"Alright. Join me soon, lover. I'll be waiting," he says softly.

"O-okay."

Buffy shakes her head again. She feels like the ground might fall out from beneath her at any second. Angelus telling her he likes her? Angelus making her breakfast? Angelus not threatening her? Her mind is a whirlwind of questions with no answers.

She jumps into the shower. As she washes herself, she feels extremely grateful to herself for going on birth control. _That would've been one way to complicate things_, she thinks caustically. The thought of getting pregnant by Angelus...she shudders. By the time she exits the shower, Buffy still doesn't know what to do.

_I guess I'll just have to see what he does,_ she thinks as she dresses. When she feels as ready as she can feel, she leaves the bathroom and heads to the kitchen.

Angelus is wearing just a pair of loose-fitting boxers and standing over the stove when she enters. Buffy doesn't say anything at first. She isn't sure what to say.

"Slept well?" Angelus asks, saving Buffy from having to start the conversation.

"Yes," she answers. Taking a deep breath, she continues, "What are you making?"

"Omelets," he says.

Buffy stares at the muscles of his back, following the markings of his tattoo with her eyes. _He has a nice back_, she thinks.

He turns around to look at her, his familiar smirk in place. "Like what you see?" he says.

Buffy shakes her head negatively. She wants to break eye contact with him, however she is more unwilling to let him see that he has gotten to her.

After a long moment, he sighs heavily and turns back to the stove. Buffy takes a seat at the table - it's already set so there is nothing for her to do but wait. She doesn't have to wait long.

"What are we doing today?" Buffy asks when Angelus puts an omelet on her plate and sits down at the table across from her.

He gives her a slow, lazy once-over and then says, "What do you want to do today?"

Her first instinct is to say, _"I want to go home,"_ but then she remembers everything that is waiting for her at home and replies, "You've already decided what we're going to do. Why ask me what I want?"

He shrugs. "I could be persuaded to change my mind." The look he gives her leaves no doubt in Buffy's mind of how he would expect her to persuade him.

"Don't make me gag," Buffy says and turns to her food.

She jumps when she feels his leg stroke against hers and looks up at him in question. He smiles at her and says, "You're not really giving me a chance here, Buffy."

"What?" she says dumbly, confused.

"I'm trying to be nice and -"

"Try harder," she cuts in.

He runs a hand through his hair and says, "I want you to like me."

Buffy stops fiddling with her omelet and turns her attention fully to him. "Why? Why do you want me to like you? You were perfectly happy to let me hate your guts before, what's changed?"

He shrugs again. "I don't know. I just know what I want."

"And I always get what I want," he adds quietly, almost as an afterthought.

"I barely tolerate you, what makes you think I will ever like you?" Buffy says, voice going shrill involuntarily.

"That will change," he says. He leans over the table and says in a lower voice, "There's just something about you, Buffy. I thought I knew what it was, but now I'm not so sure."

Buffy swallows sharply and thinks on what he's said. He likes her, and he wants her to return his feelings. The question is: what does she want? She wishes things could go back to the way they were before she met him, but since she can't have that...

"Okay," she says, already regretting the words.

"Okay?"

"Okay, I'll try to be more open to whatever this is between us," she says.

He grins at her and nudges her leg again. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Buffy rolls her eyes. "You have no idea."

He lets out a small laugh and smiles like he's genuinely amused with her. It's not like his smirks or his grins - it's a true smile and Buffy fights back a smile in return.

_Give in,_ a voice whispers inside her and something shifts inside her. Suddenly the thought of giving in doesn't seem so frightening.

She smiles into her plate and then furtively brushes her leg against his. He looks up at her in surprise.

"I want to go running," Buffy says.

He smiles at her, another genuine one that makes his whole face light up, and says, "Whatever you want."


	13. Sequel - A Slow Burn - VII pt 4

**Title: **A Slow Burn

**Author: **sentbyfools

**Summary: **Sequel to Inevitability. Buffy thinks she can just put her past behind her, but Angelus isn't ready to give up on her yet. He's a wolf that gets what he wants, and what he wants is Buffy.

**Warnings/Rating: **NC-17. dubcon, references to dubcon, angst, minor character death.

**Notes: **And an update, I know, I'm surprised too. But yeah, inspiration just hit me this morning and I'm not making any promises, but hopefully I'll be able to update sooner. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and thank you so much for all your reviews. If anything seems off or rushed, please let me know.

* * *

It doesn't take long for her to finish her breakfast and while Angelus clears everything away, Buffy heads back to the room to pack a bag for the day. She wants to go running, but she doesn't know where else he might take her or what they might do besides that, so she packs a lot into her tote bag just in case.

Footsteps sound at the door. Buffy doesn't turn around.

"Getting ready?" Angelus asks.

Buffy doesn't respond, focusing her attention on carefully folding a towel to put in her bag instead. After a moment, Angelus continues, "Okay, I'll be out of the shower soon and then we'll head out."

Buffy finally turns around then and graces him with a smile that isn't forced. "Thank you for doing this," she says.

He walks towards the bathroom door, but then seems to think better of it, and turns back to Buffy. "You're welcome," he says. The expression on his face is surprised, as if he didn't expect the exchange at all. Buffy can understand his surprise; she never expected to be on good terms with him either. But they are on good terms, and despite herself, Buffy hopes it stays that way. She is a fighter, but even that gets tiring after a while. She needs a break, and if she enjoys herself just a little bit, no one but she needs to know.

After a while, Angelus comes out of the bathroom. Buffy is all packed by then, and she turns to face him. She blushes at his shirtless form, but doesn't turn back around. He notices her watching him, and a smile slowly curves on his face.

"Enjoying the view?" he asks as he pulls a shirt over his head.

Buffy rolls her eyes, and says, "There's room for improvement."

His short pulled on, he frowns at her. "Room for improvement?"

Buffy nods. "Like I said."

He stalks over to her until he is towering over her. Grasping her chin in one hand, he turns her face to look at him. His brow is furrowed in annoyance.

"And what, pray tell, would you improve?"

Buffy gasps. She didn't expect him to take it so seriously. She had only been joking.

"I - " she says. "Nothing. It was just a joke, as in 'ha-ha'."

"A joke?" he says, blinking rapidly as the furrow in his brow disappears. "A joke."

"Yeah," Buffy says, pulling her face out of his grip. Taking a risk, one so big that she starts to tremble slightly, she says, "I wouldn't change a thing."

He takes her hand in his and without breaking eye contact with her, he brings it to his mouth and kisses it. Buffy breathes heavily, excited and scared by his actions. He is being gentle with her, sweet - no, it is too gentle, it is too sweet. It is everything she wants and nothing she wants at all. She doesn't know how she is supposed to feel. She is trying to be nice in the hopes that it might let down his guard, allow her to find a weakness in him, but she can't seem to stop herself from actually being affected by his reactions. _There is something wrong with me,_ she thinks, not for the first time.

"Let's go," Buffy says, pulling away from him in a sudden, sharp motion.

He frowns at her, but says, "Alright," and leads her out of the bedroom and the apartment, to the car.

They don't spend a long time in the car, coming to the hotel in less than half-an-hour. Buffy climbs out of the car, breathing in deeply. She can already smell the forest air, can feel the wolf inside her reacting to it happily. She grins widely as she enters the hotel. She'd never thought that she'd be happy to be returning to this place, but in this moment, she is happy. What had once been her prison is now going to be her freedom.

She turns towards the back door and stops when she sees Cordelia walking towards her. Buffy frowns. She had forgotten that she might run into Cordelia.

"Buffy," Cordelia says coolly.

Buffy expected that. Cordelia would be the one to hold a grudge, and Buffy didn't expect any less from her.

"Cordelia, it's -" _nice to see you._ No, that was a lie. If Buffy had any real choice, she wouldn't have ever seen Cordelia or Angelus again. _But I'm not thinking about that right now,_ she tells herself pointedly, and says aloud, "It's been a while."

"Not long enough," Cordelia says. She looks to a point just over Buffy's shoulder and Angelus must have given her a look, because Cordelia looks down, a cowed expression on her face as she says, "Lunch will be ready soon."

"Thanks, Cordy," Angelus says, wrapping an arm over Buffy's shoulder as he walks up beside her.

"Come on, lover," he says to Buffy, and steers her towards the back door.

"She hates me," Buffy says aloud without realizing it.

Angelus turns her so that they are looking at each other. Raising an eyebrow at her, he says, "Did you expect any different? Buffy, when you ran off, you really - you left quite the mess behind you."

_We were doing so well,_ a little voice says just before the anger takes over her and she snaps, "Oh, so it's my fault for wanting to get away from the man that tortured me and made me sleep with him?"

A surprised expression passes over his face. He starts to say something, but Buffy cuts him off with a wave of her hand. "Screw you, Angelus. You're such a fucking asshole."

"Buffy -" he says.

She cuts him off again. "I'm just going to go running. If you really want me to like you, you'll let me have my space."

"Please," she says, almost begging.

She doesn't expect him to actually listen. She expects the worst from him, for him to get angry and yell, to tie her up, to hurt her. He doesn't do any of that though.

"Go on," he says, and he walks in the opposite direction, towards the stairs. Buffy breathes a sigh of relief and..._disappointment? _If he had responded in anger, it would've given her a reason to hurt him too. Him taking the high road doesn't really sit well with her. It isn't in his nature, is it?

Buffy rubs at her temples. Her head hurts thinking so much about him and his actions. Nothing about him makes any sense, especially this weekend. She wished she could fit him in the box of nemesis again. Everything was easier when she just hated him and he gave her no reason to do otherwise.

_Fuck_, she thinks. _What am I even doing?_

_You're going to go running and enjoy yourself and forget about everything._

Buffy takes a deep breath. She can do that. She can have fun. She can forget.

She heads through the back door and outside. After setting her bag down, she shifts forms, becoming the wolf. She knows it isn't exactly safe, but she lets loose a low howl as she runs towards the woods. She sails between the trees, her paws cracking fallen branches and sending dirt clouds in the air as she runs.

Buffy stops, sniffs the air, scenting out the animals around her. The scents mingle in her nose, but she is able to pick one out and follow it, stalking the rabbit through the underbrush as it tries to flee from her. She lets it run for a while, enjoying the chase. After a long while, Buffy finally captures it. She holds it beneath her paw, feeling it shake, it's life held in her hands. She wonders if that is how Angelus feels every time he chases Buffy, like he holds so much power over her. But Buffy isn't the weak rabbit, mo, Buffy is a wolf just like him. She won't give in as easily.

No, she won't.

She lifts her paw and for a moment the rabbit continues to just lay there, frozen in shock. She moves back, sitting on her haunches, and it is then that the rabbit moves, racing away.

She lies down on her back in the dirt, rolling around to make herself more comfortable. Finally she closes her eyes, relaxing beneath the tree coverage. The sun peeks through the leaves of the tree, some of it falling on her and keeping her warm.

Buffy doesn't know how much time has passed, but when she wakes up, Angelus is sitting beside her in his wolf form as well. She sits up quickly, barking in surprise. Angelus doesn't move, just continues to watch her, and after a moment, she relaxes, letting her shoulder drop and sitting back down.

He barks at her, a command to follow him. Buffy thinks to ignore him; she is still angry. However, she can smell food in the distance and her stomach rolls, reminding her of her hunger.

_Come on,_ he barks again, and Buffy follows. They run to a clearing where a picnic has been set up. Buffy shifts back into her human form and so does Angelus.

She sits down on the blanket to eat, grabbing a sandwich out of the picnic basket and a tray of fruit. Pointedly ignoring his presence, she eats in silence. Angelus stands over her for a long time, watching her, and then he sits down beside her. He doesn't touch the food and Buffy feels awkward with him watching her eat, but she ignores it.

Finally, he breaks the silence and says, "I'm sorry."

Buffy drops her sandwich to her lap in surprise. She couldn't have heard him correctly.

"Did you just say -"

"I'm sorry," he repeats. "I'm sorry I hurt you. I want us to move past that, I want you to forgive me, but that decision is all yours to make."

He pauses and then says, "We can continue to fight and argue all the time, or we can try to act like we did this morning, like real lovers. It's all up to you."

Buffy runs both hands down her face and turns to face him. His expression is serious, and it just doesn't add up because nothing he has said makes sense. He must be joking. Angelus would never apologize, it wasn't in his nature.

"What is wrong with you?" she demands. "I mean, really, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"I'm trying to be civil here. I'm trying to treat you right, Buffy. Why are you so upset?"

"I don't want you to treat me right," she cries. "I just want you to leave me and my family alone."

"That's not happening, so why don't you just accept it and me?"

Buffy shakes her head, a thought creeping up on her. "I'm not your mate, and I will never be. That's what this is all about right? You want to mate me?"

He looks surprised at her words but then a dark grin spreads across his face and he says, "You will be mine. You already are."

Buffy gasps as he pushes her food aside and cups her cheek with one hand, pulling her towards him.

"I'm not yours," she says, feeling the heat begin to pool in her belly.

All he does is smile and slides his mouth over her own.


	14. Sequel - A Slow Burn - VII pt 5

**Title: **A Slow Burn

**Author: **sentbyfools

**Summary: **Sequel to Inevitability. Buffy thinks she can just put her past behind her, but Angelus isn't ready to give up on her yet. He's a wolf that gets what he wants, and what he wants is Buffy.

**Warnings/Rating: **NC-17. dubcon, references to dubcon, angst, minor character death.

**Notes: **Another short chapter, next one should be longer as we're finally finished with VII. More plot should happen next chapter as well, so get excited for that! I want to give a shout out to my faithful reviewers - **Abigael Ryan, SMGBest (who always has something insightful to say), BrandiIndigo, Paris, ba2006. You guys are seriously awesome for reviewing pretty much every chapter of this fic. **And thanks to my other reviewers as well. I love all of you. Your reviews are what keep me writing even when I want to give up on this story because there are so many better ones being written. Which reminds me, if you aren't reading **frosty600**'s or **Angel's blue eyed girl**'s fic, then you are missing out. They're two of my favourite writers for Buffy fic.

* * *

"No," Buffy says in between rough, heated kisses. She doesn't want this, she doesn't want to kiss him, she doesn't want to enjoy anything about this fucked up situation.

Except his hand is playing with the skin beneath her shirt, stroking her softly in a way that makes her want to forget about everything.

"No. I won't," she says firmly, pushing him away hard.

He falls back on his elbows, smiling at her as if all she is doing is a joke. She isn't joking. So, to make her point clear, she punches him. And keeps hitting at whatever she can reach.

Moments later, he has her pinned down by her elbows, crushed beneath his weight. He has a bloody nose from where Buffy's fist connected with his face. The cold anger on his face makes a jolt of fear go through her.

_He's going to hit me or worse,_ she thinks and closes her eyes, preparing for his assault.

Except he doesn't do any of that. He releases her arms, climbing off of her, and says, "That's it. We're done here."

Buffy sits up and tries to catch his gaze. She just can't believe that he hasn't hurt her. She needs to look into his eyes, to see the anger there and remind herself what he is capable of. But there is no anger in his gaze, only disappointment. He swipes at his nose with the back of his hand, wiping away the blood.

"I don't care what you say, Buffy, because I know that you feel something for me, the same undeniable connection that I feel when I'm with you," he says sharply. Buffy stares at him, his words not fully processing.

He grabs her by her wrists, pulling her to him. She doesn't fight him; it feels like the fight has left her and all she wants to do is lay down and sleep. She feels exhausted suddenly, exhausted by all the absolutely everything.

"I'm not going to let you go," he says with a shaky laugh. "It's not in my nature, so I suggest you just get used to the idea. It'll make things easier for you."

"And if I don't get used to it?" she asks tiredly.

He pulls her closer so that she is half sitting in his lap and presses a kiss to her forehead. "You will. It's inevitable. You, me, we're inevitable, babe."

"But -" she starts to argue, but stops herself before the words leave her mouth. What point is there in arguing? Truly, there just doesn't seem to be a point to it anymore. Her body betrays her at every chance it gets, and her mind seems to be doing the same, giving her more reasons to be with him than to fight him. The only thing that she still seems to have control over is her heart.

Wrapped in his warm embrace, she vows that although she may give him everything else, he will never have her heart.

"Fine," she says.

"Fine?" He pulls away from her so that he can look her in the eyes. "Fine?"

"Fine," she says. "You can have me. Just leave my family out of it."

"So noble," he murmurs, "Always putting others before yourself. So very noble - it's cute."

Buffy rolls her eyes. "I'm not doing it to be cute. I do it because I care, because I _love_, something you'll never be able to do."

"Don't be so sure," he says evasively.

"Don't be so sure? What are you trying to tell me here?" Buffy asks.

"I do love," he says sharply. "Despite what you may think, I'm not a complete monster."

"You sure fooled me," Buffy snaps in return.

"I really think that you need to realize something, Angelus," Buffy continues in a more serious tone. "You hurt me. I will never forgive you for what you've done to me."

He nods at her. "I understand that, but I think that we can move past it."

_You'll never have my heart, _Buffy thinks again as she says, "How?"

"Let's pretend that we're strangers who just met."

"I still don't like you," Buffy points out.

"That's because I haven't charmed you yet," Angelus says with a genuine grin. Buffy feels her body react to it, the heat from earlier returning full force. "Hello, lovely," he continues.

"Hi," Buffy says stiffly, trying to tamp down on her body's reaction. She doesn't want him to notice, hopes he doesn't notice.

He pulls her hand to his lips, littering it with soft kisses and then tugs her fully into his lap. She can feel his arousal pressing against her. She sighs into his touch, and when he kisses her, this time, she doesn't pull away.

"That's quite a welcome for someone who supposedly doesn't like me," Angelus says after they move apart.

Buffy breathes heavily and says in between breaths, "What is it you told me before? Something about me not needing to like you to fuck you. Same rule applies here."

He gives her a look somewhere between frustration and disappointment. Buffy is confused by the expression. Why should he feel frustrated or disappointed? And then she remembers their earlier conversation. _I want you to like me,_ his words echo in her ears. He wants her to like him. The question is, as it ever was, what does Buffy want? Liking him would make things a hell of a lot easier on her, but how can you like the man that did such horrible things to you?

_One step at a time_, Buffy supposes.

She is about to voice said thought when she hears twigs break. The sound isn't very close by, but it has both her and Angelus on the alert. The last time Buffy was in this forest, Angelus had killed a hunter. She doesn't want to have to see that again.

"It's only me," Fred chirps as she enters into the clearing.

Angelus visibly relaxes and then it fades into anger. Just as he is about to say something, Buffy surprises herself by saying, "Don't. Please, do this for me."

Somehow, it works, her words get through to him and he calms. He gives Buffy an odd look that she can't even begin to fathom and then turns to Fred.

"Why are you interrupting us?" he asks, and Buffy realizes that she is still sitting in his lap. She doesn't move, not wanting Angelus' anger to return, and she feels a thrill of happiness at the way Fred doesn't even seem to care that she is sitting in Angelus' lap. If her friends saw her like this, no doubt there'd be angry words to be had, but with Fred there is no judgment. Buffy isn't sure which reaction she prefers, and that is a mark of just how confused her feelings are when it comes to Angelus.

"I'm sorry, but Gunn is on the phone. He said something about new people in Sunnydale, and that you would want to know immediately," Fred says, her nose wrinkling in confusion. Her expression is apologetic, but she says, "You should come now."

"Why would you want to know that?" Buffy asks.

"It's none of your concern," Angelus says.

Buffy narrows her eyes at him, realization creeping up on her because of his evasive answer. "I don't care what kind of enemies you have, but you better keep them away from my family. I'm not surprised that there are new people in Sunnydale; classes start soon at UC Sunnydale, but if they have anything to do with anything you're wrapped up in, you better handle it."

Surprising her not for the first time that day, Angelus doesn't respond with anger. Instead, giving her a look like she has surprised him, he says, "I understand and I will handle it. Stay here and keep Fred company."

Gently, he lifts her out of his lap and then stands. He shifts back into his wolf form and disappears at a run into the forest, heading back to the hotel.

Fred gives Buffy an awkward smile and then comes to sit down beside her.

"I thought he would be so angry at me for interrupting you guys. He told me not to unless it was absolutely necessary - I was scared that he'd punish me. You don't understand how angry he was after you left. Living with him was a nightmare," Fred says.

"Are you trying to make me feel bad because it's working," Buffy says defensively. "I'm sorry he hurt you guys because of his anger, but it isn't my fault that he can't handle rejection, so don't put it on me."

"I'm not trying to, Buffy," she says, holding her hands up in surrender. "I just - since he found you again, he has been so much - so different. It's almost weird how nice he has been."

"Nice? Him?" Buffy asks.

"I know, I'm surprised too," Fred says, laughing.

They both dissolve into laughter and after a long moment, Fred finally continues, "I think that he is trying to change because of you."

Buffy sobers quickly then. White-faced, Buffy says shakily, "No, no, no. Don't say that. He isn't - don't say that."

His words echo in her mind then, _I do love, I do love, I do love,_ and the panic starts to spread to her fingers, causing them to tremble. _He can't love, he doesn't love,_ she thinks furiously, but it seems to fall on deaf ears because the voice in her head keeps whispering, _He can and he does and -_

"Stop," she says aloud.

Fred gives her a scared look. "Buffy, are you okay?"

Buffy is able to shake the frightening thoughts away and says, "I'm fine. I just need some water."

All she needs is water and she'll be fine. She grabs up the water bottle from off the blanket, and drinks and drinks until she thinks no more.

* * *

Angelus arrives back at the hotel and gets comfortable in his office seat before he picks up the phone.

"What is it?" he growls into the phone. "You interrupted something important."

He can almost hear Gunn roll his eyes over the phone, the insubordinate little prick. "I'm sorry, but you told me to call you if something big happens, if anyone new arrived in town. We got, like, about 50 new faces, but I think they're all just college students."

Angelus runs a hand along his chin and says, "I want you to research all of them and make sure they're who they say they are."

"Is that it?" Gunn asks.

"Yeah, that's it," Angelus says and hangs up the phone.

He considers going right back outside, but the thought occurs to him that maybe Buffy would rather spend some time with Fred, and instead of rushing right back out there, he decides to give it to her. He doesn't quite understand why he has been in such a charitable mood today. Buffy has done enough things today to seriously piss him off, the bloodied nose at the top of the list, but one look from her hazel eyes and his anger seems easy to forget.

Something is going on, and he thinks he knows what it is, but for now, he'll keep to himself.

_I wouldn't want to scare her off, now would I?_ he thinks to himself, a smirk playing on his lips.


	15. Sequel - A Slow Burn - VIII pt 1

**Title: **A Slow Burn

**Author: **sentbyfools

**Summary: **Sequel to Inevitability. Buffy thinks she can just put her past behind her, but Angelus isn't ready to give up on her yet. He's a wolf that gets what he wants, and what he wants is Buffy.

**Warnings/Rating: **NC-17. dubcon, references to dubcon, angst, minor character death.

**Notes: **Thank you to Anjie, Paris, BrandiIndigo, ba2006, kara103, SMGBest, and Abigael Ryan for reviewing! You guys are the best and your reviews always make me happy. I split this chapter into 2 parts so that I could give you guys faster updates and I have most of the fic planned now so I'm working really hard to finish it. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

By the time Angelus returns to the clearing, Buffy has regained control of herself. She doesn't feel confused any longer, just determined, determined to put these confusing feelings behind her and focus on what needs to be done: finding out Angelus' weaknesses so that she can take him down.

"Fred, you can leave now," Angelus says not unkindly, even giving Fred a smile, a genuine one.

"I'll see you some other time," Fred says.

Buffy nods at her. "Yeah, sure."

"Are you taking me home now?" Buffy asks Angelus when Fred has walked back through the trees.

"Is that what you want?"

"Yes," Buffy says without hesitating. "I want to go home."

He sighs. "I was hoping that I could spend some more time with you, but business calls me back to Sunnydale as well."

Buffy's interest grows at that. "Business?"

He grins at her slyly. "Yes, business. Don't let it bother that pretty little head of yours, it's of no concern to you."

Buffy doesn't mean to, but she pouts. He walks over to where she is sitting, kneels down in front of her and says seriously, "Really, don't let it worry you. It's nothing important."

"I'm not worried," Buffy says. "Why should I be worried?"

He touches a hand to her cheek. "You shouldn't," he says and leans forward, pressing a kiss to her lips. Buffy doesn't resist it, isn't sure she knows how to anymore. Angelus pulls away after a long moment, standing up straight and offering Buffy his hand. Buffy takes it, rising to her feet.

"Let's go," he says and leads her back through the forest and to the hotel. When they arrive back there, he leaves her outside his office for a few minutes.

Cordelia comes down the stairs, and to Buffy's surprise, instead of ignoring her, Cordelia walks up to Buffy and says, "I don't hate you, but it's a close thing."

Buffy shrugs, unsure of what to say. She isn't sorry, not at all, and she isn't going to lie and say she is.

"Watch out, Buffy Summers," Cordelia says. "Your stunt made you a lot of enemies in this pack, not to mention -"

"What?" Buffy says, urging her to continue, feeling that Cordelia is on the verge of telling her something important.

"Nothing," Cordelia says, shrugging in such a nonchalant way that Buffy is convinced that it is anything but that.

Before Buffy can interrogate her, Angelus returns out of his office and to Buffy's side.

"Cordy, I thought you were busy," Angelus says, raising an eyebrow at Cordelia.

"I was just passing through," Cordelia says and exits the lobby.

"Did she threaten you?" Angelus asks when Cordelia has gone.

Buffy frowns at him and lies carefully, "No, why would she?"

"I thought I heard her...never mind," he says. "You ready to go?"

"My bag..."

"Is already in the car," Angelus says. "Come on."

When they get in the car, and Angelus pulls away from the hotel, he says, "We need to talk about how this relationship is going to go."

Buffy frowns. She doesn't want to talk about that at all.

"Yeah?" she says.

"I'd like to take you out places on a regular basis. I can't do that if you're just going to fight me or run away when we're there. I can't have you risking my reputation."

Buffy rolls her eyes. "No we _couldn't _have that."

He glances at her, giving her a look. "See, this is what I mean."

"What are you trying to say? That I can't even be myself? That I have to pretend to be something that I'm not? I'm never going to stop fighting you, Angelus. It isn't in me to do that."

"Fucking and fighting...I want us to do more than just that. I want us to be more than that."

"Why? I'm fine with that," Buffy says. She bends down and reaches into her bag, digging for her sunglasses. She puts them on, not wanting him to see her eyes, to see the lie in them as she says, "I'm completely fine with that."

He chuckles and says, "You're lying. You want more than that too."

Buffy bites her lip, and then releasing it, says, "Not with you."

He slams his hands down on the wheel angrily, making Buffy jump. "Goddamnit, Buffy," he says. "You're really trying to make things difficult."

"I'm really not. I'm trying to make things as easy on myself as possible," she says, turning to look out the window at the buildings passing by. "I don't want to date you, Angelus, so get the thought out of your head."

"If you don't -"

"Threats? Well, that's the way to a girl's heart," Buffy says snidely.

He growls lowly. Buffy's body responds to that in a way that makes Buffy glad that he can't see her face. This is worse than being in heat. At least then she can blame it on her biology. This reaction she can't blame on anything but herself. She curses the parts of her that want him.

"Buffy," he groans out. "You smell delicious. So ripe, so delectable."

"Stop speaking," Buffy says, horrified that he can smell her arousal.

"Buffy -"

"Really, please, just stop."

She crosses her arms over her chest and slides down farther in her seat, wishing she could just melt right into the seat, disappear completely.

And that's when she remembers why she didn't want to go home. She is going to have to explain this to everyone, and how can she put into words their twisted relationship? She digs her nails into her palms, biting her lip again.

"You look tense," Angelus says. "I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable."

"No you're not," Buffy says sharply.

"Am I sorry for saying what I said? You're right, I'm not. But I am sorry that it made you feel so unnerved."

"Okay. Can we just stop speaking? Like, can we finish this drive in silence?" Buffy asks.

He glances over at her again. "Go to dinner with me and I won't bother you for the rest of the ride back to Sunny-D."

"Fine," Buffy agrees quickly, just wanting to end the conversation.

She'll have to talk to him more later, when they go to dinner, but for now, she has all the time to figure out how she is going to address this conversation with her friends. And Xander, god, what she let Angelus do to Xander - he'll probably never forgive her. And why should he? Buffy could've stopped Angelus, she knows that, but she wanted revenge and she let that dark part of her win out.

If what Fred said was true and Buffy really is changing Angelus, then the opposite could be true, that Angelus is changing Buffy, and not for the better. Before she met him, she never would've entertained the thought of letting someone hurt any of her friends, any of her family, especially Xander, one of her best friends since childhood. Now, she'd actually let that happen.

_Shit, what am I going to do?_ _Angelus brings out the worst in me._

And there's no way for her to be rid of him, at least not now, and not for another five and a half months. Her hands tremble at the thought of spending the next five and half months as Angelus'...paramour. She has already given in to him so much, how much will she give up to him by then?

A bitter laugh bubbles in her throat. Maybe by then, she won't even want to be rid of him. The thought is laughable and terrifying all at once.

She is just going to have to face them. She is going to have to explain that she is with Angelus and that there is nothing any of them can do about it and hope that they understand.

It isn't long before Angelus and her get back to the mansion. He parks, and Buffy climbs out of the car, happy to be home but saddened at the same time because it'll never be the same home that she had when she was young. Her mom is gone, her dad is gone, and she is stuck with an alpha who doesn't know how to treat a person like anything other than a possession.

"I'll be in my office if you need me," Angelus says. "Be ready for 7:30."

Buffy glances at her phone, the phone that didn't ring once this whole weekend. It is 4:55. Just over two and half hours to explain herself to her friends and get ready for dinner. Plenty of time to get yelled at and hated on.

She sighs and walks into the house, heading to the basement where her friends would most likely be while Angelus heads up the stairs.

When she gets to the basement, the only two people there are Faith and Willow. A year ago, when everything was different, Buffy would've said that seeing them together is unusual, but they've seemed have bonded since Buffy's unfortunate experience with running away.

"Buffy," Willow says, standing up and walking over to Buffy.

Faith doesn't move from her seat, ignoring Buffy's arrival. Buffy can't blame her considering everything that has happened.

"I just wanted to explain myself to you guys. Willow, you said we needed to talk, and you're right, we do."

"This needs to stay between us," Buffy continues. "Giles cannot find this out."

Faith rolls her eyes. Buffy walks over to her and says, "Faith, I'm serious. Don't tell him."

"Go ahead and explain yourself, Ms. High and Mighty and I'll consider it."

Buffy takes a deep breath and tells them. She tells them the whole story, about everything that has happened to her since she ran away. She tries not to look at them as she speaks, but moments when she glances up from looking at her hands, she sees the look of horror on Willow's face and Faith's conflicted expression.

Finally, when she is done, she says, directing her words at Faith, "Please don't tell Giles. He'll do something stupid if he finds out."

Faith stands up then, stalking over to Buffy. Raising an accusatory finger, Faith says, "And what did you think that we wouldn't? B, how could you let us think...We thought you were his willing whore. He is hurting you."

"Not anymore," Buffy lies. He is hurting her, it just isn't physical anymore. "And I don't confront him. Don't do anything about it. I can handle this."

"How? He's already taken all your options away."

"Not all of them," Buffy says. "I'm going to defeat him. I know I will."

"Do you have a plan?" Faith asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Not yet, but I will. Trust me on this. Just let me handle it," Buffy says.

Faith frowns and says, "I'm sorry we didn't trust you before. We should've believed in you instead of jumping to conclusions, but you know I can't help from shooting my mouth off and I don't really think things through. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Buffy says and before Faith can stop her, Buffy wraps her arms around Faith, hugging her. She pulls Willow into the hug too and says, "I'm just glad to know that my friends are on my side again."

* * *

Angelus' phone begins to ring in his pocket just as he is about to leave his office. He looks at the caller ID and growls at the name.

_Lindsey McDonald._

"Lindsey, I can't say this is a pleasure," Angelus bites out into the phone.

Lindsey laughs. "Same to you, Angelus."

"What do you want now? I thought we discussed all we needed to at the party," Angelus says.

"Speaking of that, it was lovely meeting your _Buffy_ this weekend. She is quite the looker," Lindsey says.

Angelus grips the phone tightly in his hand and says, "What is this about Lindsey? What does Nest want with her?"

"To be honest, I really don't know, but he wants to meet her. He's giving you two months. Bring her to him or he'll come collecting," Lindsey says.

"He can certainly try," Angelus says, not even bothering to mask the threat.

"You really think you can defeat him? As I recall -"

"You don't recall shit," Angelus says. "And I know I can. So tell him to try and come take her. He'll find it won't be as easy as he thinks."

Angelus knows he is risking a lot with his words, but he just can't bring himself to care at the moment. The thought of Nest getting his hands on Buffy makes him see red, and he can barely focus enough to keep the conversation going.

"Two months, Angelus," Lindsey sing-songs gleefully.

"And about Darla?" Angelus asks with a smirk, knowing that asking about her will knock Lindsey off-kilter.

"What about her?" Lindsey asks sharply, proving Angelus right.

"What does she have to say about this?"

"Why would she have anything to say about this? She -"

"Was at the party yesterday," Angelus finishes.

After a long moment of silence, Lindsey repeats, "Two months," and hangs up the phone.

Angelus laughs to himself at Lindsey's reaction and then the full weight of what he has done hits him. He has outright challenged the Master, something he hasn't done since -

He doesn't want to think about that. Instead he calls up Fred, Cordelia and Gunn, telling them to tighten defenses and be prepared for an attack. He doesn't tell anything to Buffy's pack because he doesn't want them to know what he has pulled them into, not yet, not until Buffy is truly his. He doesn't want to give her more fuel to hate him with.

When he is done handling his affairs, he heads to his room to get ready for his dinner with Buffy, and hopes that this evening will go smoothly. He has big plans for tonight, and he isn't going to let anyone ruin them.


End file.
